No. 2 Houston basketball continues its undefeated start to the season at 5-0 after a 91-45 beatdown of Rider at Fertitta Center Wednesday night.
This was the most dominant win of the early season for Houston basketball at a 46-point margin and the first time the Cougars cracked over 90 points. While Houston was great in the first half, it was even better in the second as they outscored Rider 44-20 in the final 20 minutes.
Here are two takeaways from this lopsided affair.
1. Variety of scoring options
Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings has already cemented himself as one of the premier scoring options for Houston, and once again led the Cougars in scoring for the third straight game. Flemings put up 18 points on an efficient 8/10 from the field and two 3-pointers as well as five assists. The San Antonio native won two national player of the week awards as well as Big 12 player and newcomer of the week.
Besides Flemings, a number of players stepped up offensively. The Cougars had five players in double digits, and senior guard Emanuel Sharp put up 15 points, along with five assists of his own, even though he is not listed as a point guard. Sharp came to life in the second half by scoring 10 out of his 15 with three triples.
In the front court, both junior forward Joseph Tugler and freshman stretch big Chris Cenac Jr. each scored 12 points. Cenac Jr. was a perfect 5/5 from the field, including two from downtown. While he only had one rebound, it was a great shooting night for him. Cenac Jr. showed his offensive tools from scoring down low, to pulling up in the post and beyond the arc.
Tugler’s offensive game has clearly improved from last season, and that was on display in the second half where he added 10 of his 12 points. Tugler uses a hook shot to score in the paint and went to that four times. Additionally, he made a jump shot.
Houston shot 56% from the floor and hit 10 triples overall for a 39% clip from three.
2. Bench performances stood out
Houston basketball did not have freshman guard Isiah Harwell available off the bench in this one, as he was dealing with an illness. That gave sophomore guard Mercy Miller a great opportunity, as head coach Kelvin Sampson said postgame, and he made full use of it. Miller scored a career-high 14 points off the bench on 6/10 shooting in 25 minutes.
The Cougars were still able to add 26 bench points in the victory. That was also thanks to redshirt freshman Chase McCarty. The young forward had eight first half points along with a pair of 3-pointers. One of them was incredibly difficult, as he had to grab the ball from the floor in the corner and drained it from beyond the arc at the first half buzzer. McCarty also had six rebounds in 26 minutes.
Up Next for Houston Basketball: vs. Syracuse on Mon., Nov. 24 at 5 p.m.