How Houston Cougars Kept Comeback Hopes Alive vs. Arizona
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The Houston Cougars had rolled through the Big 12 Tournament after receiving a double-bye and the No. 2 seed. Houston got its participation started by taking care of its two matchups, taking down the No. 10-seeded BYU Cougars and No. 3-seeded Kansas Jayhawks.
With the victories, the Cougars set up a rematch against the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on Saturday. The Coogs looked to avenge their regular-season loss after the Wildcats defeated the Coogs at the Fertitta Center 73-66.
The matchup was also a rematch from last season's tournament championship game, which the Cougars took home. And history wouldn’t repeat itself with the Wildcats beating the Coogs 79-74 on Saturday afternoon. After being down for most of the ballgame, the Cougars received a big contribution from a duo of the bench to keep some hope alive.
Houston’s Bench Duo Infused Life
The Cougars trailed 44-36 headed into the locker room and the game didn’t change coming out of the half as the Wildcats build their largest lead of the game with a 15 point lead and 16:57 minutes remaining.
Needing an answer, head coach Kelvin Sampson was able to look toward his bench to find some answers. And Sampson found something with the performances from guard Mercy Miller and forward Chase McCarty. The duo would combine for all 23 bench points on the night for the Cougars and outscored the Wildcats bench 23-6.
Miller made his presence known in both halves, scoring eight points in the first half while shooting three of five from the field in 11 minutes of play time. The guard ended the night with 13 points, shooting five of eight from the field along with seven rebounds and an assist.
McCarty, on the other end, helped the Cougars close the gap with eight second-half points while shooting two of three from the field in just six minutes. On the night alone, McCarty would finish the ballgame with 10 points, shooting three of six from the field and a rebound in 18 minutes.
The contributions from both Miller and McCarty were not enough as the Wildcats were able to hang onto their lead and ice the ballgame from the free-throw line, icing the Coogs’ comeback hopes.
The Cougars will now await their fate for the NCAA Tournament after compiling a 28-6 record during the regular season and the Big 12 Tournament. The Cougars will likely not be one of the No. 1 seeds in the tournament as they’ve been for the past few years, but they should still be one of the top seeds with a favorable matchup in the first round once the madness starts with the First Four round on March 17.
