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Tuesday, December 29
Tulsa, Okla.
8 p.m.
University of Houston
7-1, 2-1AAC
64
at
65
Tulsa
5-3, 2-1AAC
1
2
F
Houston
30
34
64
Tulsa
31
34
65
#5 Houston Falls to Tulsa in Heartbreaker
12/29/2020 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cougars suffer first loss of season
TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Brandon Rachal hit two free throws with a tenth of a second remaining and finished with 22 points as Tulsa topped unbeaten No. 5 Houston 65-64 on Tuesday night.
After Caleb Mills made a 7-foot floater with six seconds left to give Houston its first lead in the final 13 minutes of the game, Rachal took a pass, drove the length of the court and was fouled by center Brison Gresham at the rim a fraction of a second before time expired.
Rachal went to the line and calmly made both free throws.
The victory was Tulsa's first over a top-5 team since winning at UCLA in 1996.
The victory lifted Tulsa to 2-1 in the American Conference and 5-3 overall. Houston (2-1, 7-1) had won its first seven games handily, the closest being a nine-point victory over UCF.
Ahead by one at halftime, Tulsa built a six-point advantage several times in the second half. But the Cougars never lost touch, tying the game at 62-all on an offensive rebound by Marcus Sasser.
Rey Idowu made one of two free throws to give Tulsa a 63-62 lead before Mills put the Cougars ahead.
Quentin Grimes led the Cougars with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sassar finished with 14 points and Mills 11 for Houston.
Tulsa clawed back from an early 15-7 deficit, tying the game at 15 on consecutive 3-pointers by Curtis Haywood, who entered shooting 20% from long range. Houston pushed its lead back to five points, but another 3-pointer by Haywood pulled Tulsa within 24-22.
Tulsa took its first lead at 27-26 on a 3-pointer from another unlikely source, Darrien Jackson, whose shot from the left corner was his first 3 of the season on four attempts. A drive by Elijah Joiner bounced four times on the rim before dropping as time expired, giving TU a 31-30 lead at the break.
Houston shot just 38% in the first half, but had nine offensive rebounds and scored nine second-chance points.
The Cougars lead the American Conference in rebounding margin, turnover margin and steals.
BIG PICTURE
Tulsa has consistently outperformed its preseason prognostications in the American, tying for first a year ago after being picked ninth. The Hurricane's gritty performance against Houston shows TU may be able to better its sixth-place prediction for this season.
Houston shot just 35% from the field, including 19% on 3-pointers (4 of 21) and were unable to overwhelm Tulsa with their physicality, as they have most opponents. They outrebounded Tulsa 38-35.
UP NEXT
• Following Tuesday's game, the Cougars wrap up their road swing when they meet rv/rv SMU at 6 p.m., Sunday, inside Moody Coliseum in Dallas... Game will air on ESPN2 and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the TuneIn app.
• From there, Houston returns home to play five of its next six games inside the friendly confines of the Fertitta Center.
• Home stand begins against Wichita State at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6... Game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 950 AM KPRC and the TuneIn app.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
After Caleb Mills made a 7-foot floater with six seconds left to give Houston its first lead in the final 13 minutes of the game, Rachal took a pass, drove the length of the court and was fouled by center Brison Gresham at the rim a fraction of a second before time expired.
Rachal went to the line and calmly made both free throws.
The victory was Tulsa's first over a top-5 team since winning at UCLA in 1996.
The victory lifted Tulsa to 2-1 in the American Conference and 5-3 overall. Houston (2-1, 7-1) had won its first seven games handily, the closest being a nine-point victory over UCF.
Ahead by one at halftime, Tulsa built a six-point advantage several times in the second half. But the Cougars never lost touch, tying the game at 62-all on an offensive rebound by Marcus Sasser.
Rey Idowu made one of two free throws to give Tulsa a 63-62 lead before Mills put the Cougars ahead.
Quentin Grimes led the Cougars with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sassar finished with 14 points and Mills 11 for Houston.
Tulsa clawed back from an early 15-7 deficit, tying the game at 15 on consecutive 3-pointers by Curtis Haywood, who entered shooting 20% from long range. Houston pushed its lead back to five points, but another 3-pointer by Haywood pulled Tulsa within 24-22.
Tulsa took its first lead at 27-26 on a 3-pointer from another unlikely source, Darrien Jackson, whose shot from the left corner was his first 3 of the season on four attempts. A drive by Elijah Joiner bounced four times on the rim before dropping as time expired, giving TU a 31-30 lead at the break.
Houston shot just 38% in the first half, but had nine offensive rebounds and scored nine second-chance points.
The Cougars lead the American Conference in rebounding margin, turnover margin and steals.
BIG PICTURE
Tulsa has consistently outperformed its preseason prognostications in the American, tying for first a year ago after being picked ninth. The Hurricane's gritty performance against Houston shows TU may be able to better its sixth-place prediction for this season.
Houston shot just 35% from the field, including 19% on 3-pointers (4 of 21) and were unable to overwhelm Tulsa with their physicality, as they have most opponents. They outrebounded Tulsa 38-35.
UP NEXT
• Following Tuesday's game, the Cougars wrap up their road swing when they meet rv/rv SMU at 6 p.m., Sunday, inside Moody Coliseum in Dallas... Game will air on ESPN2 and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the TuneIn app.
• From there, Houston returns home to play five of its next six games inside the friendly confines of the Fertitta Center.
• Home stand begins against Wichita State at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6... Game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 950 AM KPRC and the TuneIn app.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
– UHCougars.com –
Team Stats
HOU
TULSA
FG%
.357
.417
3FG%
.190
.350
FT%
.645
.818
RB
38
35
TO
11
14
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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