Kingston Flemings scored 19 points and Milos Uzan added 16 of his 18 points in the second half, lifting No. 8 Houston to a 67-60 victory over host Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Uzan sank 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range and Flemings added six assists and five steals.
The Cougars (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) have won seven in a row overall and extended the nation’s longest active road winning streak to 15 games despite a tough outing by Emanuel Sharp.
Sharp, who entered the contest averaging a team-leading 17.0 points per game, was limited to two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the second half. He finished 0 of 9 from the floor and 0 of 5 from 3-point range.
Cincinnati’s Day Day Thomas highlighted his 15-point performance by scoring his team’s last 12 points of the first half.
Moustapha Thiam scored 13 points and Baba Miller added 11 for the Bearcats (8-6, 0-1), who fell to 8-2 at home this season.
Cincinnati erased a five-point deficit to forge a 60-60 tie before Uzan sank a 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining in the second half.
Joseph Tugler provided an emphatic dunk following an offensive rebound to push Houston’s lead to five points with 54 seconds to play.
Thomas was held without a point before erupting on a personal 12-4 run to stake Cincinnati to a 33-28 lead at halftime. He sank back-to-back 3-pointers, a driving layup and two free throws before answering a modest response by Houston by draining a 16-foot jumper with eight seconds to play.
Thiam began the second half by scoring seven straight points to extend the Bearcats’ lead to 40-30 before Uzan sank consecutive 3-pointers for Houston.
–Field Level Media
