No. 7 Houston Cougars Pull of Second Half Comeback Over Baylor in Home Finale
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The No. 7 Houston Cougars found themselves down for the first 34 minutes of this game against the Baylor Bears, but roared back in the second half to end senior night and the final home game of the season with a 77-64 win.
Houston improves to 25-5 on the season and 13-4 in the Big 12. The Cougars finish with a 15-1 home record. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings was the leading scorer once again with 21 points on 7/13 shooting and added seven assists and two steals. Senior guard Emanuel Sharp made a ton of big shots in this one and scored 19 points along with five 3-pointers on 10 attempts.
Junior forward Joseph Tugler added 14 points and six rebounds while senior point guard Milos Uzan got 12. Houston ended up shooting better than Baylor, going 46% from the field and 36% from three. The Cougars forced 18 turnovers and got 28 points off them. UH got 25 points off the bench as well.
Game Recap
Baylor had two turnovers early, but Carr knocked down a 3-pointer. Flemings attacked and got the layup, but missed the and-one.
Houston started out cold shooting and struggled on its interior defense as the Bears went up 9-2. Sharp drilled a 3-pointer, but Baylor had the answers on offense, up 14-5.
Cenac Jr. got a score in the post and Uzan made a layup high off the glass, but Baylor was just on fire shooting-wise. Houston’s defense wasn’t stopping much. The Bears had a strong advantage early in terms of rebounding as well. The Cougars got downhill, but were just missing point-blank shots at the rim. Uzan and Tugler were the players in particular just struggling.
Houston got some 3-point looks off turnovers, but Carr just had the response every single time. Baylor kept getting the lead back up to 10 every time Houston cut back in. Tugler had enough and just powered through for an epic one-handed dunk. Flemings got success attacking the basket, and was the offense down the stretch of the first half. He scored the last four points of the period as the Cougars went on a crucial 12-3 run, as the score was tied at 35 at halftime. Flemings led the way with 12 first-half points.
Houston shot just 38% from the field, but got 13 second-chance points compared to two for BU. Baylor shot 48% overall and 7/14 from three.
The Bears came right back out in the second half and quickly took a seven-point lead. Tugler got his shots to go in the paint, and Sharp made a four-point play that brought the crowd to his feet. Sharp hit another three-pointer that tied the game at 46.
While some calls did not go its way, Houston was having issues with turnovers as well as rebounding. Tugler, Uzan and Flemings were tough scoring in the paint, but Baylor still led with under eight minutes to go. Powell had a poster of his own over Cenac Jr.
Houston finally got its turning point of the game as the Cougars went on a 13-0 run which was extended to 18-3. All the shots started to go in, showing it was just a matter of time. Sharp drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer and McCarty made a 3-point play. Flemings was lethal in fast break. Uzan came to life with five points during this stretch. Houston took a double-digit lead and didn’t look back.
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.