Houston and Alabama once again played in a classic nail biter top-10 matchup.
The #6 Cougars once again put a strong fight vs a top 10 opponent, but ultimately lost in overtime 85-80 vs #9 Alabama in the first game of the player’s era tournament. UH was able to take an early 19-12 lead, however the Crimson Tide tightened it up before the Cougars took a slight 36-34 advantage into the half. Alabama took control in the second half with the lead, and extended it to eight at 62-54 after a three from guard Mark Sears.
The Cougars would fight back with a 10-0 run, led by graduate guard LJ Cryer. Graduate forward J’Wan Roberts also helped even when dealing with an injury to his eye, as he tied the game at 65 with a layup plus the foul. Houston had a four point lead at multiple points under two minutes to go after free throws from Cryer and junior guard Emanuel Sharp, but this time the Crimson Tide pulled it back after another three from Sears. Bama would tie it, and Cryer missed a potential game winner (a mid-range baseline jumper) which sent it to overtime. The Crimson Tide dominated in overtime 7-2 after Sharp and junior point guard Milos Uzan were fouled out. Houston was unable to generate offense in the extra period.
Takeaways:
#1: LJ Cryer
The elite scorer put together the best performances of his Cougars career so far, as he tied his personal high of 30 points. Cryer kept Houston in it offensively when it wasn’t looking promising late in the second half with a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line and a couple threes. At the end of the game, Cryer was just tired and gassed as no other Houston player was generating points. It was a great effort, but did not have enough support.
#2: Offensive struggles in OT and in stretches
Throughout the game, UH struggled in consistency on the offensive end. Point guard Milos Uzan was struggling, and the Alabama defense was giving them issues. This meant the Tide were able to take control in the second half. The Cougars uncharacteristically had 12 turnovers, and the bench was not as effective. Houston just could not do anything in overtime, partially due to them relying just on Cryer with the situation. UH missed their last seven field goals and didn’t score in the last three minutes. Freshman guard Mercy Miller, who is known for his offensive creation, only played seven minutes. This was the kind of situation that may have been ideal to play in.
#3: Foul trouble and rebounding
This was the biggest story of the night. The Cougars defense overall did a solid job as the Tide only shot 37% from the field, but kept giving up fouls and free throws throughout. Sophomore forward Joseph Tugler also had a career high eight blocks. Houston had 30 personal fouls that resulted in Uzan and Sharp getting fouled out, two critical members for scoring. That gave Alabama 41 free throw attempts that were big momentum crushers. The Crimson Tide also beat Houston at their own game, which is rebounding and second chance points.
Alabama outrebounded Houston overall with 48-39, and also on the offensive glass 20-16. Cougars big men Ja’Vier Francis and J’Wan Roberts also were dealing with injuries that did not help. Another storyline from the Houston perspective was the officials that called ticky-tack fouls on Sharp and Mylik Wilson towards the end that changed the game. The referees may not have been consistent throughout, and the Tide may have benefited off of it. Overall, it is on the Cougars to do better and be smart when fouling.
“We got a lot of the guys that can play better than they’re playing,” said coach Kelvin Sampson.
After a tough loss, UH will get right back to it the next day in Vegas vs Notre Dame with tip-off scheduled to be at 11:30 pm CST.