No. 7 Houston survived two long shooting droughts, dominated the glass and forced turnovers to beat Baylor 77-55 on Saturday, setting a school record with its 16th straight road victory.
Emanuel Sharp scored 17 points, and the No. 7 Houston Cougars set a school record for consecutive road wins by rolling past Baylor 77-55 on Saturday night. No. 7 Houston set a school record for consecutive road wins, rolling past Baylor 77-55 on Saturday night as the Cougars used a decisive first-half surge and overwhelming rebounding edge to pull away.
Houston, the defending Big 12 champion and national runner-up, improved to 15-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The Cougars have not lost a true road game since falling to No. 8 Kansas on Feb. 3, 2024, and their current 16-game winning streak is the longest active run in the nation, setting a new Big 12 record.
Joseph Tugler posted 12 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double, while Isiah Harwell added 12 points. True freshman Chris Cenac scored 11 and Kingston Flemings had 10, as Houston placed five players in double figures.
Cameron Carr led Baylor (10-5, 0-3) with 18 points. Tounde Yessoufou finished with 10, but the Bears were undone by turnovers and second-chance points.
The Cougars endured two lengthy shooting slumps in the first half, missing 10 consecutive shots over a 5½-minute stretch early and then going 0 for 10 again in the final 6½ minutes before halftime. In between those droughts, however, Houston seized control with a dominant 23-3 run.
Sharp sparked the rally with a 3-pointer, and Harwell followed with another that put Houston ahead for good. Tugler capped the spurt with a dunk off a Baylor turnover that pushed the lead to 29-17 with 6:34 left. Despite not making another field goal before the break, Houston still carried a 33-26 advantage into halftime.
The Cougars then opened the second half with a 13-3 run to blow the game open and never looked back.
Houston finished at 39.2% shooting (29 of 74) but made up for it with relentless work on the glass and careful ball control. The Cougars grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and committed just five turnovers, while Baylor had 16 giveaways.
Those extra possessions proved decisive. Houston scored 31 points off Baylor’s turnovers and attempted 33 more shots than the Bears over the course of the game.
As Sharp said afterward, the Cougars stayed locked in even when the shots were not falling, playing with “energy” and “focus” on both ends of the floor.
With another convincing road win, Houston continues to assert itself as the Big 12’s team to beat and one of the nation’s most reliable performers away from home.
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