No. 7 Houston basketball beat No. 14 Texas Tech 69-65 on Tuesday night in the Fertitta Center in one of the best games of the season. This was Big 12 basketball at its best.
It was a back-and-forth game that saw Houston trailing late, but coming back to win their Big 12 home opener in incredible fashion. Houston improves to 14-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Big 12, while Texas Tech falls to 11-4 and 1-1 in the Big 12. Here are two takeaways from the game.
Takeaway #1: Kingston Flemings Delivered
Houston basketball desperately needed some sort of consistent offense. Houston was down 55-49 with 8:25 left and was still down 59-55 with 3:38 to go. Houston was going through a more than four-minute drought without a field goal, and only made some free throws and a couple of shots in the paint.
While he didn’t have the best game early, especially defensively, freshman point guard Kingston Flemings showed up when he absolutely had to in the clutch. When the game was on the line, Flemings showed what he was made of. Down by two after a forced turnover, Flemings calmly hit the 3-pointer from the top of the key that gave Houston their first lead since the middle of the second half.
After it was tied again at 60, Flemings responded with a mid-range jumper for the 62-60 advantage. When senior point guard Milos Uzan missed his free throw, freshman big man Chris Cenac Jr. reeled down the offensive rebound. He followed that up by making 1/2 shots at the line. Houston needed one more shot to put the game away, and Flemings did it again. As the shot clock was winding down, the 6-foot-4, 190-lb guard drilled another 3-pointer as the Cougars went up 66-62 with 30 seconds left.
Flemings was the leading scorer of the game with 23 points, and scored the final three field goals (8 points). Senior guard Emanuel Sharp bounced back well with 17 points, while Cenac Jr. and junior forward Joseph Tugler each had a double-double. The Cougars’ defense was on lockdown in the final 3 minutes.
Takeaway #2: Hard-Fought Rivalry
Houston basketball and Texas Tech have turned into the toughest and arguably the best rivalry in the Big 12 this season. Although Houston leads the all-time series 33-18, it feels anything but. Only seven teams have come into the Fertitta Center and won. Texas Tech was the last team to do so last February in an 82-81 overtime win where head coach Grant McCasland and star forward J.T. Toppin were ejected four minutes in.
The Red Raiders were once again in great position to win this game as well. They have been the only team to maintain a lead in this building and seem unfazed for the most part. The Cougars won a tight game in Lubbock last year, 69-61, too. The next matchup at Texas Tech should be absolute cinema. Tech made nine 3-pointers, and Houston only shot 24% from three. The Red Raiders shot better overall, but Houston forced turnovers and were clutch at the end.
“That kind of game, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s for the gritty, tough. We had one possession where four guys came out with bloody lips. I love it, that’s why I respect coach Sampson and playing against him in this place because it really does show who loves the grit and fight to win,” McCasland said.
Head coach Kelvin Sampson had plenty to say about the Red Raiders.
“Let’s give Texas Tech a lot of credit, that’s a damn good team. They’re difficult to guard. I think the reason why neither team played great was the other team. I thought it would be this kind of game,” Sampson said.
Up Next for Houston basketball: at Baylor, Sat. Jan. 10 at Noon
[…] with 11 rebounds as well. Freshman Chris Cenac Jr. added 11 points. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings has been one of the leading scorers for the Cougars throughout the season, and scored 10 in this […]