Kingston Flemings recorded 15 points and five assists to help No. 8 Houston hold off visiting Middle Tennessee 69-60 in nonconference play on Monday night.
JoJo Tugler added 13 points and six rebounds as the Cougars (12-1) won their sixth straight game. Emanuel Sharpe had 10 points and three steals.
The Cougars had a 30-3 edge in points off turnovers. Middle Tennessee committed 19 turnovers to Houston’s six.
Kamari Lands made four treys while scoring 18 points for the Blue Raiders (7-6), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Alec Oglesby tallied 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Torey Alston had 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots for Middle Tennessee, which made 46.9% of its field-goal attempts and went 11 of 28 (39.3%) behind the arc. Chris Loofe added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Cougars shot 40.7% from the field, including 6 of 20 (30%) from 3-point range.
Houston led by just five before rattling off eight straight points to go up 53-40 with 9:20 remaining in the game. Tugler finished off the burst with a dunk.
Mercy Miller later scored back-to-back baskets to give the Cougars a 63-47 lead with 3:38 left. Miller finished with nine points off the bench.
Middle Tennessee responded with a 9-2 run, and Oglesby’s fourth trey pulled the Blue Raiders within 65-56 with 1:36 remaining. Middle Tennessee couldn’t move any closer as Houston closed it out.
The Cougars led 33-28 at halftime after the Blue Raiders played a strong first half.
Oglesby knocked down three 3-pointers during a five-minute span to help Middle Tennessee take a 19-16 lead with 8:22 left in the opening half.
The Cougars answered with 10 straight points — five by Tugler, five by Flemings — to hold a seven-point lead with 4:59 remaining until the break.
The Blue Raiders were close to trailing by two at half. However, Milos Uzan knocked down a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Cougars a five-point lead.
