In sports, it helps to have a quick memory. It allows athletes to move on from a loss or not get too caught up in a win. For seasoned Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, he wants his players to practice the former.

Houston failed to get the job done against Kansas on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse, 69-56, absorbing its third straight loss and falling to 23-5, including 11-4 in the Big 12.

The No. 5 Cougars were atrocious with their accuracy from the field, shooting just 38%, including 5-of-24 from long distance. The No. 14 Jayhawks went on a 12-0 run early in the second half to take control of the game and take the fight out of the visitors.

Despite their loss, Sampson stressed that they should not stew on it, as reported by Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte.

“This is all behind us now. We lick our wounds. We haven’t been through anything like this because we’ve been the winningest program in America for how many years. This is a great life lesson for everybody. When we play these good teams, you’ve got to be on top of your game, and we weren’t,” said Sampson.

Article Continues Below

Fatigue got the better of the Cougars, who also lost to No. 4 Iowa State and No. 2 Arizona during the toughest stretch of their campaign. They had not lost three straight assignments since 2017.

The 70-year-old Sampson acknowledged that his players need to recuperate following their challenging schedule. They will return to the hardwood on Saturday when they host Colorado.

Kingston Flemings had 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists against Kansas, while Chris Cenac Jr. and Mercy Miller combined for 18 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals.