Arizona State (10-8, 1-4) Men’s Basketball traveled to the Lone Star State to take on the No. 7 Houston Cougars (17-1, 5-0) and left with another disappointing loss. The Cougars lit up the floor all over, finishing with a 56% field goal percentage and a 103-73 win to continue their blazing start.

From the very get-go, Houston looked like a more dominant team. Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr nailed a 3-pointer only 16 seconds into the game and ignited the spark his team needed only seconds after tip-off.

The Cougars jumped out to a 30-5 lead after more than nine minutes into the game. The Sun Devils looked exhausted and still hung up on their last loss in the Territorial Cup, finishing the first half 36.7% from the field.

While junior forward Andrija Grbovic and senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson impressed with scoring chances throughout the game, ASU struggled to find a true leader in scoring. Reliable option, senior guard Moe Odum, shot 2-for-10 and turned over the ball five times, marking a rough outing for the usual leader. 

The media has given plenty of national attention to Houston freshman guard Kingston Fleming, and for good reason. Flemings continued his premier freshman season with another game of 20 points and 8 assists, adding yet another game where he was the leading scorer for the Cougars. 

Houston also could not be denied from the three-point line, shooting 48% from beyond the arc. On multiple instances, miscommunication cost the Sun Devils defensive stops and offensive rebounds. 

The Cougars had 15 key offensive rebounds, leaving their shooters open from the perimeter. 

Arizona State now falls to 12th in the conference and has lost six of its last seven games. It will now travel back to Tempe to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers to kick off a two-game home stand on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. MST.