Winning with a message: Cougars dominate the Buffaloes 102-62 at home – The Cougar

The Cougars men’s basketball team faced off against the University of Colorado Buffaloes. The effort was tremendous on the part of the home team as Houston was looking to bounce back from a gauntlet where the Coogs suffered three losses against three highly competitive programs that seemed winnable if not for a little bad luck.

This time, the Coogs did not disappoint and seemed to be back in championship-contending form, with Houston outscoring Colorado most of the game and the final score being a dominant 102-62.

Going into this matchup, Houston junior forward Joseph Tugler was named a candidate for the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year following last season, where he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Lefty Driesell Award as the nation’s top defender.

Freshman guard Kingston Flemings continued to live up to the hype and is already in consideration for some prestigious accolades, being included on both the Bob Cousy midseason Top 10 list as well as the Wooden Award midseason watch list. SLAM magazine was also present at the game, taking photos of the team and the fans in the “Cage” as well as releasing some epic merchandise showcasing their upcoming featurette.

Game Recap

The game started off a bit sluggish, with the Coogs starting with some unlucky shots and allowing the Buffaloes to take the lead early, 10-2 at the 17-minute mark in the first half.

However, things started to heat up with Houston senior guard Milos Uzan leading the team in scoring, going 5-7 from downtown and 9-13 shooting for a total of 26 points, beginning an unstoppable run. Houston graduate center Kalifa Sakho scored at the 13:15 mark to take the first lead of the game, with the Cougars never looking back from there.

Things got a little heated near the end of the first half, leading to Colorado head coach Tad Boyle being hit with two technical fouls, resulting in an ejection, along with Assistant Coach Nate Tomlinson being given a technical as well.

In the end, Houston had solid performances across the board with almost everyone on the team playing at least 10 minutes, scoring double digits.

Tugler chipped in with 14 points in 19 minutes of play; fan-favorite senior guard Emanuel Sharp putting up 10 points; Flemings with 11 points off 4-5 field goals along with an amazing six rebounds and eight assists; freshman center Chris Cenac Jr. going six to eight totaling 12 points; freshman forward Chase McCarty with 10 points; sophomore guard Mercy Miller with 10 points and eight rebounds and finally Sakho finishing with nine points on 4-5 field goals and four rebounds.

Colorado star guard Barrington Hargress was held to a timid six points and five rebounds, with fellow freshman guard Isiah Johnson leading the team with 19 total points scored, hitting 2-4 from the three-point line and going 7-9 in the paint.

Colorado’s junior forward Bangot Dak was the Buffaloes’ second leading scorer with 15 points on 6-12 shooting and sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik chipping in with 11 points off 3-4 field goals.

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