Houston put up a gallant fight but ultimately fell short against Kansas, 69-56, on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The No. 5 Cougars struggled from the field, shooting just 38% and making just five of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc.
Houston looked gassed in different stretches in the second half, allowing the Jayhawks to score 38 points. The Cougars dropped their third straight game, which had not happened to them since 2017. Their record fell to 23-5, including 11-4 in the Big 12.
Despite the defeat, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson remained positive, lauding his players for their efforts in their last three games, which were against ranked teams: No. 6 Iowa State, No. 2 Arizona, and No. 14 Kansas.
“You don't go through this gauntlet like we just did,” said Sampson, as quoted by Kansas reporter Sam Lance.
“I told our kids, ‘Hey, look, I'm proud of you guys.'”
Kingston Flemings led Houston with 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists, while Chris Cenac Jr. added nine points and seven rebounds. They combined for 10-of-31 field goals.
The 70-year-old Sampson, who has always had a way with words, also offered respect to Allen Fieldhouse.
“This is one of the great cathedrals, great fanbases in all of basketball,” added the four-time Big 12 champion coach.
Sampson failed to break the insane winning streak of Kansas coach Bill Self at the hallowed venue on Big Monday. He, however, has more important things to worry about, as the NCAA Tournament is just around the corner.
The Cougars want nothing more than to redeem themselves after losing to Florida in last year's national championship game.
They will battle Colorado on Saturday.
