No. 10 Houston men’s basketball has built a reputation for redeeming itself following a loss.
Since 2017, the Cougars have lost back-to-back games just twice; that statistic held as the Cougars ground out a 79-70 win over TCU at Schollmaier Arena.
“(It’s) learning from your last game and applying it to your next one,” redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp said after Houston’s loss to Texas Tech. “We know what we did wrong, we know how to fix it, we just have to apply it.”
After getting “punked on the boards” in freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr.’s words, Houston applied more physicality Wednesday night and limited TCU to 30 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, while pulling down 31 total boards of its own.
They were just three days removed from an afternoon the Cougars sought to build from, when No. 12 Texas Tech decisively outrebounded them 44-28.
“Our guys were tough. To win on the road, you don’t have to be great; you have to be tough. And we were tough enough to win on the road tonight,” coach Kelvin Sampson said.
Cenac was a major proponent in reestablishing Houston’s toughness both on the boards and the defensive end, finishing the night with a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with three steals and a block.
“Chris was a non-factor in the last game, but I think what you saw tonight was a young man that has a lot of pride,” Sampson said.
Sampson saw Cenac limited to just 18 minutes against Texas Tech on Saturday, after being relegated to the bench early due to fouls.
He followed it up by playing 34 of 40 minutes against TCU, and showing the knack for bouncing back that his team has had for the better part of a decade.
“I knew I had to come out and show my team that I’m here for them, and be tough and get as many rebounds as I could to help the team win,” Cenac said.
Once in a while, Sampson sets the reminder that there’s no such thing as an ugly win, and that particularly holds weight on the road in the Big 12, where Houston has left a lasting impression as a “roar warrior” in just its third year as a member.
Wednesday night’s win came with eight first-half turnovers and a 2-for-13 start to the second. TCU got as close as two in the period, as a wave of foul trouble claimed junior forward JoJo Tugler and graduate forward Kalifa Sakho, both with four, as well as Sharp, who fouled out with five after compiling 23 points on 8-16 shooting.
Tugler, Houston’s defensive anchor, only managed to play 10 minutes and went without tallying a single rebound for the first time in his career.
Freshman guard Kingston Flemings, who was responsible for half of Houston’s first-half turnovers, was its lifeline in the second half, scoring 17 second-half points as his teammates struggled to find a rhythm.
With the Horned Frogs still within two points at the 8:33 mark, graduate forward Ramon Walker Jr. became the first Cougar aside from Flemings to record a second-half field goal, draining a triple assisted by Flemings.
The 3-pointer was the beginning of an 8-0 Houston run, which grew its lead back to 10, giving the Cougars breathing room through the closing minutes.
At the 3:27 mark of the second half, another veteran emerged as senior guard Milos Uzan knocked down a 3-pointer to go up 11, assisted by Flemings as well.
“Those are seniors, they’re going to step up whenever we need them,” Flemings said. “So when I’m passing them the ball, I have full confidence they’re going to hit their shots. Even the ones they miss, I’m 100% sure it’s going to go in every single time.”
Flemings recorded his ninth game with 20 or more points, including his third consecutive, finishing with a team-high 27 on 8-16 shooting alongside five assists and five rebounds.
Next, the 18-2 Cougars will return home to face Cincinnati for the second time on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 11 a.m.
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