Cougars are saved again by second-half comeback
The University of Houston continued its farewell tour through the American Athletic Conference on Thursday night.
Pardon the Cougars if they say good riddance to Wichita State’s Koch Arena.
The third-ranked Cougars found themselves in yet another tight game before escaping with a 70-61 victory over the upsetminded Shockers thanks to a stifling second-half defense and clutch 3-pointers down the stretch by Jarace Walker.
“It’s always tough,” UH coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters of the Cougars’ final visit to Wichita before joining the Big 12 next season.
The Cougars improved to 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the AAC, one game ahead of second-place Temple heading into Sunday’s rematch in Philadelphia. The Owls are the only team to beat the Cougars in conference play, 56-55 on Jan. 22.
For the second straight game, the Cougars had to rally in the second half. On Saturday, it was a sevenpoint deficit in a 75-69 win over Cincinnati. On Thursday, the Cougars were down eight points less than seven minutes into the game and trailed by seven with 14:40 remaining.
Walker, a 6-8 freshman forward and likely NBA lottery pick, hit a corner 3pointer to slice Wichita State’s lead to 50-47 before tying the game at 54 on another 3 with 6:11 left.
Walker made another corner 3 to put the Cougars ahead 57-54 with 4:19 to play, Jamal Shead added a layup, and Tramon Mark put the game out of reach with a 3-pointer for a 62-55 lead. It was part of an 11-1 blitz down the stretch for the Cougars, who denied the Shockers a shot at beating a top-three opponent for the first time since 1967.
There were 10 lead changes and nine ties in the game.
“When it came winning time, I think our DNA kicked in,” Sampson said after the game. “We know how to win. There’s a lot to be said about that.”
Walker and Marcus Sasser each had 15 points to lead five UH players in double figures, with Sasser scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
Shead added 13 and Mark had 12. J’Wan Roberts chipped in 10 points — including back-to-back dunks in the closing minutes — and six rebounds while playing only 17 minutes because of foul trouble.
UH has had one tough game after another at the place known as the “Roundhouse.” Sampson earlier this week referred to Koch Arena as the “Loud House” for its electric atmosphere.
Wichita State beat the Cougars in 2018 and again in 2021 when it upset the sixth-ranked Cougars 6863. UH needed a dunk at the buzzer for a 76-74 double-overtime win last season.
Another tough test was on tap for the Cougars after Jaykwon Walton hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Shockers a 10-2 lead. Walton was a tough matchup most of the game, finishing with a game-high 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting.
UH made a late push to take a 30-29 halftime lead and came out hot to begin the second half as Sasser scored on a layup and 3pointer, his first field goals of the game, and Mark added a jumper for a 37-34 lead. But Walton drilled a 3-pointer and hit a couple of acrobatic shots, part of a 13-3 run as the Shockers took a 47-40 lead with 14:40 left.
Wichita State (11-11, 4-6 AAC) made only two field goals over the final 8:13, including a 1 of 10 stretch to end the game, and shot 38.9 percent overall. Walton had only one field goal over the final 14-plus minutes.
The Shockers had scored at least 70 points in six straight games but struggled in the second half against a UH defense that is second nationally in field-goal percentage defense and third in scoring defense.
James Rojas added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Shockers. Wichita State star point guard Craig Porter was held to seven points on 2 of 14 shooting with five turnovers.
UH was 13-of-15 from the free-throw line, a considerable improvement after its recent struggles, and committed only six turnovers (one in the second half ).