Pulling out all the stops
Cougars thrice deny Shockers with game on the line, advance to final vs. Cincinnati
ORLANDO, Fla. — With 92 seconds left on the clock, the University of Houston needed a stop.
They knew it. Everybody knew it.
On the bench, assistant coach Kellen Sampson yelled: “One stop and we win this game.”
To be safe, the Cougars made three.
If defense truly wins championships, the third-seeded Cougars showed their late-game mettle Saturday, denying No. 2 seed Wichita State 77-74 in the American Athletic Conference semifinals before 8,644 at Amway Center.
“There was a calmness, a lot of poise, a lot of composure in our huddles,” UH coach Kelvin Sampson said after the Cougars advanced to Sunday’s championship game against top seed Cincinnati. “We knew exactly what we wanted to do.”
After leading for most of the game behind a 33-point performance from Rob Gray, the Cougars watched a nine-point lead slip away and fell behind 60-59 with about seven minutes remaining. From that point, the two teams went toe-to-toe with seven lead changes and two ties.
Wichita State (25-7) attempted to in-bound the ball on the baseline. The Cougars took away the option, forcing Landry Shamet to heave a pass toward midcourt. Gray and Wichita State’s Austin Reaves got tangled up as they went up for the ball.
“And when you throw it that high, Rob Gray became Ronnie Lott,” Sampson said.
Gray took off toward the basket and dished off to Galen Robinson Jr., whose layup gave back the lead to the Cougars 75-74.
“I just knew I had to finish the layup,” Robinson said.
The two teams traded misses, giving Wichita State a chance to set up a final play with nine seconds left. On the in-bounds play, in front of the Shockers’ bench, Reaves telegraphed his pass and Robinson stepped in front of Conner Frankamp for the steal.
“I read his eyes, I read his vision and in that kind of scenario he’s not going to make a no-look pass,” Robinson said. “So, I saw where he was throwing it and I intercepted it.”
Gray made a pair of free throw for a 77-74 lead with five seconds left.
On the Shockers’ final play, Shamet, a third-team All-American, drove the length of the court while guarded by Robinson, the Cougars’ top defender. Shamet pulled up for a desperation 3-point from the right wing, with Robinson altering the shot at the buzzer.
“I knew he had to shoot it; he couldn’t pump-fake because there wasn’t enough time,” Robinson said. “I jumped as high as I could and tried not to foul him.”
Said guard Armoni Brooks: “Coach told him, ‘Make a big play.’ That’s what he did. He made a great play.”
Now the Cougars (26-6) have a chance to wrap up their first conference tournament championship since winning Conference USA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2010. A win over Cincinnati could propel the Cougars to a No. 4 or 5 seed in the 68-team field that will be announced Sunday night.
“This is what we all dreamed for,” guard Corey Davis Jr. said. “This is type of basketball everybody as kid wants to play. We all want to cut down nets and get rings.”
Sampson briefly took Gray out of the game after he missed his first couple shots and made turnovers in the opening minutes. Dating to Friday’s quarterfinal win over Central Florida, Gray had missed eight straight 3-point attempts.
“I didn’t like the way he started the game so I took him out, but Rob’s one of those kids that always responds because he’s a winner,” Sampson said. “Winners sometimes they just need reminding, but I know what we have there.”
Along with his defensive stop, Gray saved his best for last, scoring 22 points in the second half, including all four of his 3-pointers.
“When my first (3-pointer) fell, it relieved me of a lot of pressure,” Gray said. “I kind of got my swag back from beyond the arc.”
As the Cougars celebrated the victory, Gray ran down the court and put his finger to his mouth in a hush motion.
“It’s a big deal to come down here and make it to the championship and even win,” he said, “because it just changes the perception that maybe the (selection committee) may have about our program.”
CINCINNATI 70, MEMPHIS 60
Jarron Cumberland scored 18 points and Gary Clark had 17 points and 12 rebounds to rally the Bearcats past the Tigers in the other AAC semifinal.
Cincinnati trailed 42-29 at halftime but erased the deficit in the first seven minutes of the second half with an active and aggressive defense.