Diving for wins: Kingston Flemings lifts Houston past Towson

Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings was diving for loose balls all afternoon at one point he even ended up in the Fertitta Center’s courtside seats as No. 2 Houston defeated Towson 65-48 Saturday, improving to 2-0. 

That high-intensity style of play is not optional; it’s required to begin fully initiating as a Houston Cougar, and it was the difference in the narrow victory.

Flemings finished the night with 20 points, on an uber-efficient 8-of-10 shooting, alongside three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Junior forward JoJo Tugler, who was sidelined this offseason while he recovered from foot surgery, responded with an all-around outing to assist in edging out Towson after a quiet opener against Lehigh.

Tugler compiled five steals and a block, as well as 15 points while shooting 7-of-14 in the paint.

Despite the breakout performance from Flemings, Houston still faced growing pains and reminders that this iteration of the team is still a steady work in progress.

Turnovers from Flemings and freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. late in the first half shaved what was once a 14-point lead in half, a spell accentuated by redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp’s foul trouble. 

Even with Sharp back on the floor in the second half, Towson made several rally attempts, getting to within five points at 46-51 after a Tugler turnover with 8:56 remaining.

Seven of the next 10 points came from Flemings and Tugler, to suddenly extend Houston’s lead to 61-46 amidst a 15-0 run to keep Towson at bay.

Cenac, who is coming off a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double Monday night, didn’t score until 0:53 remaining against Lehigh, but once again led the way on the glass, hauling in a career-best 13 rebounds.

“I think he went 1-for-8. He might have been our best player,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I told the team afterward, he might have been our best player.”

Houston will continue its homestand against Oakland on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fertitta Center.