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University of Houston
SMU
Cougars Fall to No. 19 SMU
2/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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HOUSTON (AP) Rob Gray had 23 points to lead Houston (18-8, 9-5) in a loss to No. 19 SMU Saturday night, 76-66.
Semi Ojeleye had 18 of his 22 points in the second half and No. 19 SMU rallied to beat Houston 76-66 on Saturday.
Ojeleye also had nine rebounds, and the Mustangs have won 10 straight and 20 out of 21.
''This is a team that has hearts of lions,'' SMU coach Tim Jankovich said. ''This is one of the top competitive, big-hearted, refusing to go down teams that I have been around, and how can you not respect the heck out of them? How can you not love coaching them?''
Ben Moore had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Sterling Brown had 16 points and Jarrey Foster added 10 points for SMU (24-4, 14-1 American), which shot 46 percent, including 56 percent in the second half.
Houston opened up a 22-9 lead midway through the first half on Wes VanBeck's 3-pointer. SMU answered with an 11-0 run to tie it at 26 on Ojeleye's dunk with 1:13 left.
''We said we needed to make a run at the end of the first half, and we knew we had them,'' Ben Emelogu said.
SMU shot 79 percent from the free-throw line, including 19 of 23 in the second half.
Houston (18-8, 9-5) saw its five-game winning streak end. Damyean Dotson had 19 points, and Galen Robinson Jr. added 11 points for the Cougars, who shot 41 percent and hit 9 of 27 from behind the arc.
''Sometimes you have to get some breaks, and sometimes you have to make your breaks,'' Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''When the opportunity is there, you have to take advantage of it.''
With the game tied at 51, Brown hit a 3-pointer to start a 10-2 run, capped by a three-point play by Brown with three minutes remaining.
Houston closed within 63-59 on Dotson's 3-pointer with 1:33 left, but SMU went on an 8-3 spurt to lead to 71-62 with 48 seconds left.
''We talk about before games that there are going to be runs, and we don't flinch,'' Jankovich said. ''We just play the next play and hope over 40 minutes, what we are doing is going to be better than what they are doing.''
BIG PICTURE
SMU: The Mustangs had to rally for a second straight game after also falling behind by double-digits Wednesday against Tulane before winning by five. SMU has to get more scoring from its bench, which only contributed eight points, all from Emelogu. SMU outrebounded Houston 40-33 and had 32 points in the paint.
HOUSTON: The Cougars are still looking for a marquee win this season as they remain in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth. Houston has to find more scoring outside of Gray and Dotson. The Cougars also struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 5 of 11.
SELLOUT CROWD
A sellout crowd of 8,479 was in attendance for the thriller. It was the largest crowd at Hofheinz Pavilion since Jan. 30, 2008, when 8,918 saw Houston lose to No. 1 Memphis, 89-77.
UP NEXT
• Following Saturday's game, the Cougars welcome UConn to Hofheinz Pavilion for an 8 p.m., Feb. 22, showdown.
• Cougars claimed a 62-46 win over the Huskies inside the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Dec. 28, 2016, in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
• From there, Houston hits the road again to take on Memphis at 4 p.m., Feb. 26, inside FedExForum.
• Game can be seen on CBS Sports Network and heard on KPRC 950 AM.
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TICKETS INFORMATION
Single-game tickets and group ticket packages are available to accommodate all budgets. Fans can visit uhcougars.com/tickets, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and follow the appropriate links or call 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) to order tickets.
Current University of Houston main campus students are admitted FREE to all Men's Basketball games with valid IDs. Main campus students may purchase student guest tickets to each Men's Basketball game for $5 each, based on availability.
Single game tickets begin at only $12 for American Athletic Conference games.
COACHES vs. CANCER 3-POINT CHALLENGE
The Cougars are taking part in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge. Houston fans are invited to visit pledgeit.org/cvc-houston and pledge a dollar amount for every 3-pointer the Cougars make from Feb. 1 to March 5.
The funds raised will help the American Cancer Society continue its mission to improving and saving lives by doing the most to help people with cancer today and working tirelessly to find cures for the disease tomorrow.
JOIN the 50-50 CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered team apparel, a signed basketball, invitations to practice, a tour of the $25 million Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, regular updates about the program and much more.
To join the 50-50 Club, fans can call 713-743-9742 or email UHMensBasketball@uh.edu. For more information about the 50-50 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook and Instagram pages.
