Defend. Rebound. Take care of the ball. Cougars roll past Baylor

WACO— Defend, rebound and take care of the ball. That’s No. 7 Houston men’s basketball’s Holy Trinity. 

“Every year we have a different group, we take our group, and we get them to play Cougar basketball,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Some people define it as an adjective, or it can be a noun. Whatever you prefer.”

After the Cougars started 0-7 from 3-point range, redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp sank the team’s first triple to counter the Bears’ early eight-point lead. Staying true to its Holy Trinity powered Houston to a 77-55 win over Baylor.

Defend.

Sharp’s make started a 16-1 Houston run, which consisted of four made triples. On the defensive end, Houston held Baylor without a field goal for over six minutes. 

Rebound.

The sequence before Sharp drilled the Cougars’ first 3-pointer featured three offensive rebounds, a snapshot of Houston’s relentless effort on the glass.

That dominance carried throughout the afternoon, as Houston overwhelmed Baylor on the offensive boards, 23-10. It was Houston’s highest total in Big 12 play since joining the conference.

Despite Houston going on over a six-minute field goal drought of its own to end the half, its lead ballooned to 17 less than five minutes into the second half.

Sharp led the way for Houston with 17 points. His five rebounds led the guards. Meanwhile, junior forward JoJo Tugler’s 11 boards and 12 points allowed him to finish with a double-double in consecutive games for the first time in his career. 

Take care of the ball.

Another signature ingredient for Houston’s success was winning the turnover battle 16-5 as four of five starters recorded a steal, bringing their own intensity to pick up their ninth consecutive win. 

Houston’s five turnovers surrendered were four below its season average of nine.

Through the roar of the arena, which lasted until Bears fans headed for the exits with over eight minutes still remaining, Houston extended its road winning streak, to a school-record 16, the nation’s longest active streak.

The freshmen are getting their first taste of the Big 12 road environments early in the conference slate. Guard Isaih Harwell finished with 12 points after hitting four 3-pointers. Forward Chris Cenac Jr. 11 points and extended the floor as he chipped in three triples.

“These freshmen, I have to tell them all the time, stuff like this. It’s really, really hard to win on the road in the Big 12,” Sampson said.

The 15-1 Cougars will head back to the comforts of Fertitta Center to face West Virginia on Tuesday, Jan. 13.