No. 2 Houston Basketball Cruises to Season-Opening Win over Lehigh: Houston vs Lehigh Live Game Updates
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Houston Cougars basketball, ranked preseason no. 2, begin their highly anticipated 2025-26 season with the home opener tonight against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
The Cougars won their only exhibition game of the season 61-52 over Mississippi State last Sunday in Rosenberg, Texas. Houston will recognize their incredible last season with the unveiling of the program’s Final Four banner on the concourse level of the Fertitta Center.
UH went 35-5, won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, and won the Midwest regional before beating Duke in the Final Four. The Cougars came up just short in the national championship to Florida.
Houston is 60-20 in season openers and has won its last 16. Head coach Kelvin Sampson is 11-0 at Houston in season openers and will be going for his 800th career win tonight.
Coogs vs Mountain Hawks
Houston and Lehigh face off for just the third time ever, and this is the first matchup between the two schools in 12 years. The Cougars lead the series 2-0 and beat the Mountain Hawks 80-66 at home back on Nov. 13, 2013. This will be the first time the programs face off inside the Fertitta Center.
Houston returns three big-time starters in senior point guard Milos Uzan, guard Emanuel Sharp, and forward Joseph Tugler. Each player is on the watchlist for the best at their position while all being on the preseason All Big-12 Conference team.
Tugler was named the CBS Sports Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year while Uzan was named an All-American by Field of 68. Additionally, this trio was named to the Naismith Player of the Year Watchlist.
The Cougars bring in their best freshmen recruiting class in program history, led by center Chris Cenac Jr., guard Isiah Harwell, and point guard Kingston Flemings. All three are ranked in the top 20 freshmen nationally. Cenac Jr. was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 Watchlist, while Harwell was recognized on the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CST from Fertitta Center in Houston, and be sure to check back here at game time for live updates as the action unfolds in the Cougars’ season opener.
Follow below for live updates as the action unfolds from the home of the national runner-ups.
Live Updates
Houston's starting lineup: G: Milos Uzan, G: Kingston Flemings, G: Emanuel Sharp, F: Chris Cenac Jr., F: Joseph Tugler
Houston Cougars win the opening tip and we are underway.
Under 16 Timeout
Houston has completely dominated with a 10-0 lead with 15:41 left in the first half.
The starting freshman scored all the points so far. Guard Kingston Flemings hits a corner three to begin the scoring and power forward/center Chris Cenac Jr. looks very impressive. Cenac slams a dunk, hits a three on the next possesion and then swishes an easy shot in the post. Houston's defense looks fierce as usual.
Under 12 Timeout
Houston still up 15-8.
Lehigh was 0/7 to start, but went on a 6-0 run via a couple of UH turnovers. Emanuel Sharp scores his first points on a dunk off a turnover. Lehigh finally gets their first points. Cenac Jr. hit another three. Sharp is playing incredible defensively.
Under 8 Timeout
Houston up 24-12 now with 7:08 left in the first half.
Redshirt freshman Chase McCarty gets his first points. The Cougars continue to struggle with turnovers offensively. Joseph Tugler scores his first bucket on a quick floater. Sharp has started to take over offensively, now with six points. Cenac Jr. still leads with 10 points.
Under 4 Timeout
Cougars up 32-21 with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
Lehigh and Houston keep going back and forth. After a 15-2 start for Houston, Lehigh has looked really good and outscored them 19-17. Whitlock for the Mountain Hawks has nine points. Meanwhile Sharp is leading the Cougars on both sides of the floor.
Halftime: Houston up 44-23
Cougars went on a 8-0 run to end the first half. Uzan to Tugler for an alley oop. Tugler had an incredible no-look pass to McCarty for an easy two. He then hits a 3-pointer. Tugler only had three 3-pointers last year. Emanuel Sharp took over with 13 points and three rebounds. Cenac Jr. had 12 points and four rebounds.
Under 16 Timeout
Houston up 47-29, as Lehigh has a good start to the second half. Whitlock over double digits.
Under 12 Timeout
Houston up 55-38 with 11:46 to go. Harwell gets his first bucket of the game on a three at the top of the key. Tugler had a nice hook shot in the paint. Lehigh has not allowed the Cougars to competely break the game up.
Under 8 Timeout
Houston has slightly increased their lead to 22 at 66-44 with 6:59 left. Sharp now has 21 points, but came out of the game with four fouls. Houston has started hitting their free throws.
Under 4 Timeout
Cougars leading 72-51 with 3:55 left in the game. Flemings scores a couple points and Uzan hits a three after a camera wildly came into the court as Ramon Walker went flying into the photographers row.
FINAL: No. 2 Houston wins 75-57
Head coach Kelvin Sampson wins his 800th career game as the Cougars jumped out to a 15-2 lead and never looked back. Sharp led the way with 24 points on 7/13 shooting and seven rebounds. Cenac Jr. had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds while Uzan contributed another 12.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.