Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings (4) celebrates after scoring against Florida State on Saturday, Dec.7, Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez
Editor’s note: The statistics in this article reflect the week of Dec. 6.
The No. 8-ranked Houston Cougars took on the 5-3 Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Dec. 6, facing off at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Cougars put up a dominant win against the Seminoles, winning 82-67.
The first half started hot for the Cougars as they led early with a score of 15-7. Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings and Houston senior guard Emanuel Sharp would get a hot start, with Flemings scoring four points and Sharp with six in the first few minutes of the game.
The Cougars went on a 13-1 run and denied the Florida State offense. The Seminoles quickly got into foul trouble, scrambling to stop the Cougars’ electric offense. However, Houston would not be fazed and kept scoring, with Flemings being in charge of the offense.
Florida State went on a 9-2 run with 13 minutes left in the first half and tried to narrow the Cougars’ lead, but the Cougars’ defense remained resilient and dominated the Seminoles’ offense.
Additionally, the Seminoles gave up five turnovers in 5 minutes, as Houston capitalized on those turnovers.
During the halfway point of the first half, Houston freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. shone with eight points and six rebounds
The Seminoles got the score down to five points, 26-21, putting up desperate points.
With five minutes left in the first half, both teams would have a back-and-forth battle, scoring points on every drive, as Houston kept the lead.
The first half ended with Houston leading 41-33 against Florida State, which was a dominant eight-point lead for Houston.
Sharp and Flemings each scored 13 points in the first half, with Flemings having four steals. Additionally, Cenac Jr. scored 10 points with eight rebounds.
After a brief break and returning from their locker rooms, both teams started the second half scoring zero points until the 18-minute mark when Florida State freshman forward Thomas Bassong would score two points off of free throws for the Seminoles.
However, both teams entered another stalemate throughout the second half, as there were multiple fouls and steals for both teams. Sharp would end the scoring drought with a three-point shot, allowing the Cougars to score again, which led Florida State to call a timeout.
The Cougars would continue to dominate Florida State through constant defensive pressure and offensive scoring, allowing Houston to gain a 55-40 lead.
Despite the constant pressure, Florida State would continue its defensive regime by double-teaming Houston’s star players like Flemings and Sharp, going with a full-court defense, and eliminating easy points that Houston could get.
Florida State tried to make a comeback late in the game, and at one point made the game a five-point difference, but the Cougars never backed down and kept scoring, making the lead 65-54 in Houston’s favor.
And despite a late show of confidence from Florida State, Houston would eventually win the game with a score of 82-67, showcasing their defensive and offensive dominance over the Seminoles.
Sharp would lead Houston with 27 points, and Flemings would have 21 points with four steals. Cenac Jr would get 10 total rebounds and score 15 points as well.
Looking at their performance from the game, Coach Sampson was asked if he had seen improvement since the Players’ Era tournament, to which Sampson replied, “The area that we need to improve on is our defensive rebounding. Emanuel had no defensive rebounds. In our biggest wins last year, whether it was Kansas, Duke, Iowa State, or Texas Tech, [Sharp] would come up with five or six. That’s why this team has a lot of room for improvement; we’re nowhere close to being as good as I think we can be.”
Overall, Houston’s offense and defense were electric against Florida State. Not only did Houston keep Florida State’s offense at bay, but the Cougars forced the Seminoles into a deficit that they could not escape from, sending a message throughout the college basketball world that Houston can still dominate.
sports@thedailycougar.com
