Cougars hold off Owl comeback to win fifth straight postseason game in BOK Center
TULSA, OKALHOMA (March 13, 2013) University of Houston sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas posted 16 points and 10 rebounds for his team-leading 13th double-double this season, and the Cougars held off a furious comeback in a 72-67 win against No. 11 seed Rice during the Conference USA Championship First Round inside the BOK Center.
The
Cougars built as much as an 18-point lead late in the first half, but the Owls
closed out the opening period with an 11-5 run to move to within 36-25 at the
break.
In the
second half, Rice guard Tamir Jackson scored the team’s first 16 points and the
Owls eventually built as much as a 58-55 lead when Max Guercy banked in a layup
with 8:19 remaining in the game.
However,
the Cougars rallied to score the next eight points during the next three
minutes for a 63-58 lead , thanks to two points each from four different
players – Thomas, sophomore guard Joseph Young, junior guard Tione Womack and
freshman forward Danuel House.
Rice
rallied again and took a 67-65 lead when Keith Washington hit a jumper with
2:33 to go. However, that would be the final points the Owls would score of the
rest of the night.
With just
1:47 remaining, House – the 2013 C-USA Freshman of the Year – drove the lane
for a basket and was fouled for an old-fashioned 3-point play and a 68-67
Houston lead. After a missed Rice shot, House snared the defensive rebound, and
the Cougars went to work on taking time off the game clock.
With 45
seconds left, Young’s 3-point attempt was off the mark, but senior forward Leon
Gibson grabbed the offensive board and threw it down for a monster dunk and a
70-67 Houston advantage.
Rice’s
Keith Washington was off on his potential game-tying 3-point attempt on the
ensuing possession, and sophomore forward Mikhail McLean hit 1-of-2 free throw
attempts after being fouled on the defensive rebound with 16 seconds to go.
Young hit
one more free throw with five seconds remaining to ice the win.
Thomas, a
2013 All-Conference USA First-Team honoree, connected on 8-of-13 attempts from
the field and added a pair of assists in the win. House finished with 14
points, eight rebounds and an assist, while redshirt freshman guard Jherrod
Stiggers came off the bench to post 11 points, including two 3-pointers.
Young
finished the night with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while
Gibson totaled eight points, six rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.
Jackson
led Rice and all players with 30 points and added a team-high nine rebounds.
Julian DeBose recorded 13 points with four rebounds, while Austin Ramljak
finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
