Coogs Remain inside Top 10 Despite Loss to Tech
By Garrett Ross | 365 Sports
It took a frozen day in Lubbock for No. 6 Houston to suffer their first loss of Big 12 play on Saturday. The Coogs rolled into West Texas confident, but the No. 12 Red Raiders were ultimately the tougher team down the stretch, dropping Houston 90-86 inside United Supermarkets Arena.
While the weather was cold, freshman guard Kingston Flemmings was an absolute inferno. Flemmings scored a career-high and program single-game record 42 points on 15-of-26 attempts from the field. He also shot 98% from the charity stripe, dropping 8-of-10.
His performance wasn’t enough to overcome the ten made three-point shots by the Red Raiders in the opening half of the game. Houston came into the game ranked second nationally in points allowed at 60.1 per game, but Tech put up 55 points in the first half alone.
Houston would catch a break in the second half, as the long-range shooting for Texas Tech withered away into just two made shots from beyond the arc for the remainder of the night.
JT Toppin was a complete mismatch for Houston’s defense. Toppin picked up his 44th career double-double against the Coogs with 31 points and 12 rebounds, and was named Big 12 Player of the Week for his performance.
When Toppin wasn’t dominating the paint, Houston had to try to account for the five three-pointers that Donovan Atwell dropped on them. Atwell drilled three consecutive shots from downtown to help Texas Tech pull away and secure the upset.
While Flemmings was the star for Houston on Saturday, Emanuel Sharp was the second leading scorer of the night with 20 points. Chris Cenac Jr. and Joseph Tugler each finished the night with seven boards.
Despite the loss, Houston remains ranked inside the AP Top 10 for the 23rd consecutive week, and inside the AP Top 25, for 118th straight week, at No. 10. The Coogs dropped three spots in the polls, while the Red Raiders moved up a spot, but remained outside the AP Top 10 at No. 11.
Houston finds itself behind No. 1 Arizona and No. 8 Iowa State in the national rankings, but the Cyclones remain half a game back from the Coogs in the Big 12 standings. In the NET rankings, Houston is 4-2 in Quad 1 games, with six more Quad 1 opportunities upcoming in conference play.
The Coogs will be back in action on Wednesday night, as they head to Funky Town to square off with TCU for a 6 p.m. tip-off inside Schollmaier Arena.