No.3 Houston Cougars Survive Thriller Against Syracuse in Player’s Era Tournament

No. 3 Houston Cougars basketball barely escaped an incredible fight from the Syracuse Orange in a 78-74 overtime win in their first game of the Players’ Era Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday night.

There was not much expectation from this game, but it turned out to be an extremely tight, back-and-forth affair. Houston was up 67-56 with three minutes to go, but Syracuse went on an 11-0 run to close out regulation. The Cougars wrapped it up comfortably in overtime.

The two veteran leaders on the team in senior point guard Milos Uzan and senior guard Emanuel Sharp, carried Houston offensively with 26 points each, with Sharp hitting 11 free throws. The Cougars shot only 36% overall, but 17 missed free throws from the Orange really cost Syracuse.

Game Recap

Syracuse matched the physicality of Houston throughout the game and hit some big threes early to get the lead.

Uzan hit a couple of confident threes, and the Las Vegas native was right at home at MGM Grand Garden Arena on the strip.

Syracuse took an early 23-14 lead, as the Cougars were careless in turnovers. While freshman point guard Kingston Flemings picked it up offensively, he still had three initial turnovers.

Orange star forward Donnie Freeman, who led the team in scoring with 18 points per game, is missing the whole Players Era Tournament. However, that didn’t seem to bother them. Tyler Betsy was on fire, and he hit three first-half threes.

Sharp’s free throws kept it manageable to come back for Houston as their defense picked up. The Cougars woke up and took their first lead of the game at 25-23 with 6:09 to go in the first half, thanks to an 11-0 run.

Flemings comes back and hits a couple of big threes. Houston got a five-point lead that was cut to three at halftime 37-34. Sharp was 8/8 from the free-throw line in the first half. Junior forward Joseph Tugler was key defensively in the first half with 4 blocks.

Syracuse just shot 44% from the free-throw line (8/18) while the Cougars were slightly better at 65% (11/17). Sharp was the leading scorer with 13 points, while Uzan had 10 of his own. Houston shot 50% from beyond the arc.

The Orange took the lead four minutes into the second half at 43-41, as they continued to impress.

Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. finally scored his first points of the game on a 3-pointer and heated up with a three-point play. His rebounding also stepped up.

With all the fierce battling going on and 13 fouls in the first half, multiple players on Houston picked up three fouls.

Uzan, with the shot clock winding down, banked in a deep three. Took their largest lead with over 11 minutes to go at seven points. While Syracuse continued to fight to stay in it, Houston started to take over. The Cougars went on a late 9-0 run that gave them an 11-point lead at 65-54. Sharp scored five of those points.

Just when it looked like UH was in control, the Orange did not go away. They got a layup plus the foul and made another layup on the missed free throw. The Cougars' lead was down to five at 67-62 with under two minutes to go. William Kyle came back with a wide-open dunk, and Houston’s offense went stone cold.

The Orange’s run reached 11 after a game-tying three from Betsey. At 67 all with under a minute to go, Houston’s offense could not penetrate to the basket. All of the Cougars’ shots were desperation heaves. Tugler saved the day momentarily with a huge block that sent the game into overtime as Syracuse went for the win. Houston shot only 34% from the field, compared to 56%.

In overtime, Sharp made a nice move in the paint for a fadeaway shot. He followed it up with a clutch 3-pointer as they took a five-point lead, 74-69. Uzan hit four crucial free throws to wrap it up.

Up Next:

The Cougars moved to 6-0 and will quickly resume action on Tuesday as they take on No. 20 Tennessee in Vegas.