Sharpshooting Emanuel Sharp hit 5 of 10 3-point attempts in a 19-point outing as No. 7 Houston closed its home schedule with a 77-64 comeback win over pesky Baylor on Wednesday.
Maintaining their one-game conference margin over third-place Texas Tech, the second-place Cougars (25-5, 13-4 Big 12) took their first lead with 7:16 left in the game and then roared away from the Bears (15-15, 5-12) behind a 20-3 run.
Houston’s Kingston Flemings posted a game-high 21 points to go with seven assists, and Milos Uzan scored 12 points.
Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Caden Powell had 12 points and six boards. Cameron Carr (seven rebounds) and Obi Agbim had 11 points each.
The Bears, who lost by 22 points to Houston at home on Jan. 10, led 14-5 less than five minutes into the rematch. Baylor canned seven consecutive shots, and Carr sank his second trey, an all-net 30-footer from above the key. to make the margin 19-9.
Houston’s Joseph Tugler subbed in and threw down a vicious dunk with 5:20 left in the half before Flemings made a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 29-23. Baylor coach Scott Drew called a timeout after Flemings’ layup cut it to five.
Flemings’ one-handed, driving slam through the lane and two free throws brought the Cougars all the way back with a 12-3 run to tie it 35-all at halftime.
Just as they did after the opening tipoff, the Bears sprinted out on a strong run in the second half, outscoring the home side 9-2 for a 44-37 lead. However, Sharp converted a four-point play with 16:31 left, making it a one-point game.
Baylor was up by four at the halfway point of the second half, but the Cougars took their first lead on Sharp’s wing trey with 7:16 left.
Chase McCarty then had a three-point play, Flemings made a layup and Uzan hit a trey for a 67-58 margin over a 13-0 run as the Cougars ran away with the win.
