Houston basketball had one of their most dominant Big 12 wins on the road with a 77-55 win over Baylor in Waco at Foster Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. Houston improves to 14-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big 12 so far.
After a slow start, the Cougars put on a clinical performance. Senior guard Emanuel Sharp was the leading scorer with 17 points and rose to 20th on Houston’s all-time scoring list. The Cougars won their 16th straight road game going back to last season, which is now a school record along with it being the nation’s and Big 12-record longest active streak.
Here are two takeaways from this impressive win.
Takeaway #1: Cougar culture on display
Houston shot 39% from the field and only 28% from three, but that did not matter at all. In fact, it wouldn’t bother UH at all. The Cougars put up 74 shots compared to just 41 for Baylor. That also included 39 attempts from beyond the arc. That’s the reason why the percentages were not high, but Houston made plenty of shots in this one, especially in the second half.
“Our kids took great shots all day. Our attention to detail was outstanding. Really proud of our freshmen…Defend, rebound, take care of the ball, that’s our holy trinity,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said.
Offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers. That is what Houston is known for under head Coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars were excellent in those categories against Baylor. Houston was a force on the glass, going plus 11 overall, and got 23 offensive boards compared to 10 for the Bears. UH generated 19 second-chance points off them. The 23 offensive rebounds was a school record in Big 12 games.
The turnovers were a major difference. Houston basketball forced 16 Baylor turnovers and got 31 points off them. UH doesn’t turn the ball over in general on offense, and they only lost it five times. The Bears could only manage four points from them.
Houston had five players with double-digit scoring. That included freshman guard Isiah Harwell and junior forward Joseph Tugler with 12 points. Tugler also got his second straight double-double 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 one.
It’s a good sign if the top offensive players for Houston can have an off day and the team can win by this much.
Takeaway #2: Dominant runs
Houston was down 14-6 after five minutes, and things were not looking too good. The Cougars then went on an insane 23-3 run in a span of nine minutes to go up 12 points. While the lead went back to seven at the half, Houston broke the game open in the second half.
UH went on a 19-5 run to open the second half, and the Cougars were suddenly up 21 points. Houston was up 52-31 with 13 minutes to go. UH was hitting 3-pointers, attacking the paint, and playing great defense during these stretches.
The highest lead that was reached was 29 points after a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Mercy Miller.
Up next for Houston basketball: vs. West Virginia, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m.