Flemings sparks offense with 25 points as Houston grinds out a tough road win, proving resilience even during a second-half scoring drought.
Houston proved Wednesday night that it can win in more ways than one. Even while enduring a prolonged cold stretch offensively, the 10th-ranked Cougars leaned on poise, rebounding, and timely execution to pull away late for a 79-70 road win over TCU in Fort Worth.
Freshman guard Kingston Flemings once again set the tone. Flemings poured in 25 points, marking his ninth 20-point performance of the season and continuing a breakout freshman campaign that’s rapidly gaining national attention.
Emanuel Sharp added 23 points of his own, giving Houston a steady scoring backbone even as shots stopped falling for long stretches.
Houston looked comfortable early, jumping out to control the tempo and building a double-digit cushion before halftime.
The Cougars shot efficiently out of the gate, carving up TCU’s defense with ball movement and confident perimeter looks. That rhythm disappeared after the break.
The Cougars went ice cold, missing 11 of their first 13 shots in the second half and allowing TCU to creep back into the game. What had been a commanding lead shrank to just two points as Houston struggled to generate clean looks. Still, the Cougars never panicked.
“That’s when you find out what kind of team you are,” one Houston assistant said postgame. “When shots aren’t falling, you’ve got to defend and rebound.”
Chris Cenac Jr. embodied that mindset. While his scoring was modest, Cenac dominated the glass with 14 rebounds, repeatedly extending possessions and preventing TCU from fully flipping the momentum.
Houston finished the night shooting 44.4 percent overall, but its effort areas made the difference.
TCU was led by Xavier Edmonds, who posted 18 points and 10 rebounds, while David Punch chipped in 16 points and six assists. The Horned Frogs capitalized on Houston’s slump but couldn’t get over the hump.
The Cougars finally put the game away with a decisive late surge.
Flemings initiated the closing run by finding Ramon Walker for a timely three, then calmly knocked down four free throws to seal it. That late execution highlighted a maturity beyond Houston’s experience level.
The win moves Houston to 18-2 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play, reinforcing its position near the top of the conference despite coming off a tough loss at Texas Tech last weekend. It also showed Houston can grind out wins when the offense stalls - an invaluable trait as March approaches.
TCU heads west to face Colorado on Sunday.