No. 7 Houston Cougars Roll Through Jackson State in Well-Rounded Performance

No. 7 Houston Cougars basketball completely dominated over Jackson State Wednesday night at the Fertitta Center in an 80-38 win to improve to 9-1 on the season. Houston was favored by over 40 points in this game, and the Cougars won in exactly that fashion.

Senior guard Emanuel Sharp once again led the way with an efficient 23 points on 8/11 shooting in 24 minutes. Freshman guard Isiah Harwell had the best performance of his young career, with a breakout 20 points on 57% shooting alongside four 3-pointers.

Houston limited Jackson State to just 30% from the field while forcing 25 turnovers. The Cougars cashed in with 30 points off of them while winning the rebound battle by 14.

Houston vs Jackson State Recap

Isiah Harwell Houston Cougars — Dec 10, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Isiah Harwell (1) scores a bakset during the first half against the Jackson State Tigers at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Sharp scored the first eight Houston points in this game, thanks to his typical 3-pointers. Jackson State hits three early triples of their own as the Tigers surprisingly went up 9-8 within first few minutes.

Ball movement picked up for Houston’s offense after the media timeout. There was a clear difference in quality of play since that moment. Harwell started hitting some early shots & senior guard Ramon Walker Jr. chipped in.

JSU started turning the ball over as the UH defense forces deflections. Somehow, the Tigers were still in it because of their 3-point shooting, They continue to stay hot halfway through. It was 21-16 with 10 minutes to go, but that would be all that Jackson State would score for the rest of the half.

Sophomore guard Mercy Miller made a nice impact on the game with a dunk, assist and some defense in the first 20 minutes. The Cougars took control with an 11-0 run over five minutes, where Harwell kept things going. UH still struggled with some bad passes.

Jackson State was held scoreless for over a 12 minute stretch and remained at 16 point at halftime.

Houston was up 40-16 at halftime. JSU just shot 24% from the field with 15 turnovers. The Cougars also had nine turnovers themselves. UH shot 50% with 19 first half points from Sharp on 6/7 shooting and five triples. Harwell added nine.

The former five-star guard in Harwell picked up more steam in the second half with a layup and 3-pointer. Freshman forward/center Chris Cenac Jr. scored for the first time.

A standout sequence for the Cougars was when junior forward Joseph Tugler threw down a monster slam followed up by a great defensive possession, forcing a 24 second violation. Head coach Kelvin Sampson was visibly pumped after that, which doesn’t happen very often.

Miller added a couple more shots and a block. The Los Angeles native looked great and is truly settling into his role with nine points. A big moment occurred at the four minute mark when redshirt sophomore center Jacob McFarland made his collegiate debut after close to a three year wait.

With the injury to senior forward Kalifo Sakho, McFarland along with junior center Cedric Lath got some playing time. Sampson gave multiple shoutouts to redshirt freshman forward Chase McCarty for his seven rebounds.

The Cougars got back to their standard formula and took control of the offensive glass with 18 offensive rebounds that led to 25 second chance points. Meanwhile JSU could only come up with three second-chance points.

Neither point guard looked particularly dominant on the stat sheet with senior Milos Uzan ending up with six points, four assists, and three turnovers while freshman phenom Kingston Flemings put up six assists, five points and three turnovers as well.

Up Next

After another crushing non-conference win, Houston will take on New Orleans in Fertitta Center on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Privateers are coming off an 84-83 win over Incarnate Word.