Kingston Flemings scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting to help No. 2 Houston roll to a 91-45 home victory over Rider in nonconference play on Thursday night.
Emanuel Sharp made three 3-pointers while totaling 15 points for the Cougars (5-0), who led by as many as 48 points. Mercy Miller scored 14 points off the bench for the Cougars.
Joseph Tugler had 12 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals for Houston. Chris Cenac Jr. had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
Caleb Smith had 13 points for the Broncs (1-4), who committed 23 turnovers. Rider shot 30.8% from the field, including 4-of-17 from 3-point range.
The contest was part of a difficult two-game trip to the state of Texas for the Broncs. Rider was routed 99-65 by the University of Texas on Tuesday night in Austin.
The Cougars shot a sizzling 56.1% from the field and made 10 of 26 from behind the arc. Houston committed just seven turnovers and held a 33-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Flemings scored 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting as the Cougars built a 47-25 halftime lead.
Houston shot 58.8% in the half while the Broncs made just 31%.
Flemings’ layup ended a run of 12 straight points as the Cougars took a quick 17-2 advantage.
Rider played with Houston over the next six-plus minutes, outscoring the Cougars 13-9 to trail 26-15 on a layup by Zion Cruz with 9:15 left in the half.
A 3-pointer by Sharp culminated a 14-2 surge that gave Houston a 40-17 lead with 4:32 to go.
Chase McCarty’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Cougars the 22-point lead at the break.
The pummeling continued in the second half as Houston scored 10 of the first 12 points. A three-point play by Milos Uzan capped it and gave the Cougars a 57-27 lead.
Sharpe’s 3-pointer made it 64-29 with 15:20 remaining and the lead reached 40 when Miller made two free throws to make it 71-31 with 12:45 left.
