With a strong first half performance, #10 Houston basketball cruised to an easy 30 point win in their first return to Manhattan, Kansas since 1971.
Junior guard Emanuel Sharp led the way with 15 points, along with 13 points from Joseph Tugler and 11 each from graduate guard LJ Cryer and senior forward Ja’Vier Francis. The Cougars have now won eight straight games and have started 4-0 in Big 12 play for the first time. This was also the eight straight game allowing 57 points or fewer. Graduate forward J’Wan Roberts started his 150th game, a Houston career record and also reached the 1000-point club for his career with his jumper in the second half.
Kansas State got out to a quick start and took the early 9-5 lead. However, that’s all it would be for the Wildcats as Houston dominated from that point on. The Cougars went on a 16-2 run to take the 21-11 lead. It started with a couple of jump shots in the paint from junior point guard Milos Uzan and J’Wan Roberts before senior forward Ja’Vier Francis added a couple of second chances buckets. Kansas State tried to pull it back before UH further pulled away and built on the lead.
Houston eventually had a 24-point lead at the half, 46-24. The Cougars continued to dominate in the paint with Sharp and graduate guard Mylik Wilson off the bench as well as free throws. Houston shot 57% from the field and from three in the first half. Sharp scored all 15 of his points during the period along with a trifecta of threes. Kansas State only shot 33% in comparison. Houston also had 0 turnovers compared to five for K-State. It was the best first half the Cougars have had during conference play.
“Last year, we led the nation in fewest turnovers committed. We’ve got a brand new point guard and we’re trending in that direction again. Our guys make good decisions with the ball, we stay out of trouble,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said.
The Wildcats brought the lead down to 14 halfway through the second half before Houston once again went on a dominant 19-3 run to completely put the game away. The Cougars created a 30-point advantage after more attacking in the paint, this time with Tugler as well. Sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux got more involved in the second half too.
Overall, Houston shot almost 50% from the field and once again shot well from beyond the arc, making 42% of their threes. The Cougars forced 15 turnovers and got 21 points off of them.
Takeaway #1: Joseph Tugler
The standout sophomore forward, who has built himself a starting role for Houston basketball had his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tugler made his presence felt with a couple thunderous slams and added two assists as well as two blocks. The 6 ‘8 forward out of Louisiana has been a standout player for Houston so far this season with his defensive ability to block shots and now start to make his impact offensively.
“He was so raw when he got here, but he had so much ability. Jojo deserves a lot of credit for the progress he’s made. He’s a tough kid that really wants to be good at this and he’s getting better,” Sampson said.
Takeaway #2: Rebounding dominance
Houston basketball has established a culture of rebounding throughout the years and that was on full display at Kansas State. The Cougars had 44 rebounds compared to just 20 for K-State. Along with being +24 overall on the boards, Houston was also +10 on the offensive glass, collecting 28 offensive rebounds. This resulted in 20 second chance points. A big reason for the winning margin was this category, as the Wildcats only had one second chance point. The Cougars completely dominated the glass, which tremendously helped their offense. Francis added nine rebounds. UH scored 34 more points in the paint than K-State.
“Our consistency comes from our defense,” Sampson said.
Takeaway #3: Struggles continue for Kansas State
The Wildcats scored a combined 12 points with their two best players, David N’Guessan and Coleman Hawkins. K-State has lost six out of their last seven games, and has had issues with opposing teams making game-changing runs as Oklahoma State had a 15-0 run to end the first half in their previous game. It was difficult for everyone besides junior guard Brendan Hausen, who had 15 points on five threes. Head coach Jerome Tang mentioned how Houston basketball sets the standard for a top tier team in college basketball. Tang was impressed with UH’s guards and how the forwards complement them.
“Every time we made a mistake, they made us pay and every time we didn’t make a mistake, they made us pay,” Tang said.
Up next for Houston: vs. West Virginia, Jan.15
Up next for Kansas State: vs Texas Tech, Jan.14
[…] #10 Cougars have won eight straight games entering this contest. Most recently, UH won at Kansas State on Saturday 87-57. Sophomore forward Joseph Tugler posted his first double double of his career with 13 points and 10 […]