University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
VCU
Cougars Fall, 62-61, To VCU
11/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2005
Houston, Texas- - The University of Houston men's basketball team had VCU right where they wanted them or so they thought before the Rams came charging back to edge the Cougars, 62-61, Saturday night in Hofheinz Pavilion.
Houston held a 40-28 lead with 16:10 left to play, but showed their inexperience down the stretch as the Rams came charging back to escape with the win.
"I thought we would get into our running game with passing and penetration into the lane, and close them out," Houston head coach Tom Penders. "But, VCU made a strong run in the second half, and we didn't answer strong enough."
The Rams made eight lay-ups and hit four key three-point field goals down the stretch to pull out the win.
Houston held a six-point advantage with 7:29 left to play when VCU coach Jeff Capel came charging into the lane after VCU's Nick George turned the ball over. But, the officials didn't call a technical foul and instead called a media timeout.
"I thought it was the biggest turnaround in the game," Penders said. "We would have had two free throws and maybe scored four points."
Instead, George blocked a three-point shot by Lanny Smith, and B.A. Walker hit a three-point shot on the Ram's next possession to pull VCU to within 50-47 with 7:18 left to play.
The Cougars led 57-54 on Jahmar Thorpe's lay-up with 3:42 left to play, but Jesse Pellot-Rosa hit a three-point shot from the right wing to tie the score on VCU's next possession. After Thorpe made the first of two free throws with 2:03 left to play, Pellot-Rosa hit another trey to give VCU a 60-58 lead.
Houston's Lanny Smith penetrated the lane and dished off to Sergio de Randamie for a lay-up to tie the score, 60-60, with 1:26 left to play. Renardo Dixon gave the Rams a 62-60 lead when he tipped-in Walker's miss.
On Houston's next possession, Houston's Lanny Smith was fouled while driving for a lay-up and went to the free throw line.
"I want to be at the free throw line in that situation," Smith said. "It is what you dream about. You have to make free throws in that situation, and no one understands it better than me."
Unfortunately for the Cougars, Smith missed his first free throw when the ball rolled around the rim before falling off. He made the second to pull the Cougars to within one.
"I thought he had hit it," Penders said. "But it rolled around the rim and went out."
The Cougars had one last chance to score when Ramon Dyer blocked Alexander Harper's lay-up attempt with 15 seconds left. After Dyer grabbed the rebound, Houston called time out to set up a play.
Smith drove the lane, and VCU knocked the ball out of bounds with 2.4 seconds left to play. Smith inbounded the ball to Jahmar Thorpe, and he missed a three-point try from the left baseline, allowing the Rams to escape with the victory.
"You have to give VCU a lot of credit," Penders said. "Their effort in the second half was intense and they played with a lot more emotion. They are a veteran team that won 19 games last year and I think has a chance to be in the NCAA Tournament in March.
Smith, Thorpe, Dyer and Oliver Lafayette each scored 11 points to lead Houston, while George had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead VCU.
The Cougars are 1-1 this season and travel to LSU Tuesday night for a regionally televised game on Fox Sports Net.
