Texas Tech dominates glass to halt No. 6 Houston's win streak - ESPN

LUBBOCK, Texas — JT Toppin and No. 12 Texas Tech just keep proving their toughness.

Toppin had another double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Red Raiders beat No. 6 Houston 90-86 on Saturday, when they outrebounded the Cougars and overcame a spectacular 42-point game by true freshman Kingston Flemings.

«They did an awesome, awesome job on the offensive boards,» Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. «They did to us what we've made a living doing to other people.»

Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) finished with a 44-28 rebounding edge, including 21 offensive boards that led to 22 second-chance points.

«There were some haymakers being thrown in that game. I mean, I'm talking like every time a shot goes up, it was just literal fighting,» Tech coach Grant McCasland said. «I mean, it's not an easy way to play.»

But it sure backs up McCasland's prominent saying for the Red Raiders: «Toughest Team Wins.»

Tech has a five-game winning streak since a 69-65 loss at Houston on Jan. 6 and now has wins on consecutive Saturdays over higher-ranked teams that arrived in Lubbock with long winning streaks. The Cougars had an 11-game winning streak overall and had won a Big 12-record 16 consecutive true road games over the past two years.

BYU, then ranked 11th, had a 13-game winning streak before its 84-71 loss to Tech last weekend.

Houston (17-2, 5-1) ranked second nationally allowing only 60.1 points per game, but the Red Raiders led 55-49 at halftime Saturday. That was the most points the Cougars have given up in a half during Sampson's 12 seasons, and it was only the third time a team scored 90 against them in regulation, according to ESPN research. Memphis did it twice, in 2016 and 2018.

Flemings' 42 points tied for the most ever