Houston is coming off its first close game of the season and now looks to remain unbeaten when it hosts Rider on Thursday night.

The No. 2 Cougars (4-0) made some late defensive stops while squeezing out a 73-72 win over then-No. 22 Auburn in Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday.

Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings continued his strong start with 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The scoring output was his best in four college games.

Flemings is averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 assists while sinking 69.2% (27 of 39) of his field-goal attempts.

Asked about the recruitment of Flemings, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson didn't provide any deep insight.

"We knew we needed a point, so we were specifically looking for a point guard," Sampson told reporters. "And when we saw him, we liked him."

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