Kingston Flemings heated up at the right time on his way to 19 points, Chris Cenac Jr. chipped in 16 points, and No. 8 Houston prevailed 77-66 over No. 16 BYU on Saturday night at Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
Houston (21-2, 9-1 Big 12) had another standout defensive performance as the 66 points were a season low for BYU (17-6, 5-5), which entered with the Big 12’s second-best offense at 86.7 points per game.
BYU star AJ Dybantsa shined with a game-high 28 points and Robert Wright III finished with 17 points, but those were the only BYU players to score in double figures. Along with Flemings and Cenac, Houston’s Emanuel Sharp (14 points) and Joseph Tugler (10 points) reached double figures.
It was a tight battle most of the night. With less than 10 minutes left, the game was tied 54-54.
Houston then pulled away with a 14-5 run.
The stretch started with a 5-0 spurt with Flemings scoring every point on a jumper and a three-point play. Flemings went on to score nine of the 14 points, including a layup to give Houston a 67-59 lead with 4:06 left. Kalifa Sakho made 1 of 2 free throws a minute later to extend Houston’s lead to 68-59.
It stayed a multiple-possession game after that as Houston won its fourth straight over BYU. Houston finished shooting 47.5% from the field compared to BYU’s 39.6%. Houston also won the rebounding battle 40-36 and had a 30-24 edge in points in the paint
In the first half, Houston led by as many as 11, taking a 31-20 lead on a 3 by Isiah Harwell at the 3:12 mark. BYU responded with a 9-2 spurt, capped with a 3 by Dybantsa to pull within 33-29 with 1:12 left. Houston went on to take a 37-31 lead into the locker rooms.
Both teams return to action Tuesday. Houston travels to Utah while BYU travels to Baylor.
