Houston rallies past UConn for 3rd straight win
HOUSTON (AP) DeJon Jarreau had 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Caleb Mills scored 20 points and No. 25 Houston beat UConn 63-59 on Thursday night.
Jarreau and Mills combined for the final 17 points, including 12 free throws, as Houston overcame a six-point deficit in the final 5:15.
Houston (15-4, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) won its third straight despite shooting 36% from the floor. Houston was 25 of 34 from the free throw line in a foul-filled game.
Christian Vital scored 14 points, and Isaiah Whaley added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies (10-8, 1-4), who lost their third straight. UConn shot 36%, including 4 of 16 from 3-point range. UConn was 15 of 23 from the line.
Trailing 50-44 with 5:15 left, Houston went on an 17-5 run and took a 61-55 lead on two free throws by Mills with 12 seconds left.
Jalen Gaffney made a layup and two free throws after Jarreau was whistled for a technical, closing within 61-59 with seven seconds left. Temi Aiyegbusi missed a jumper with five seconds remaining, and Mills grabbed the rebound and sealed the win with two free throws with two seconds left.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: The Huskies fell to 0-4 against ranked teams, including their last three games.
Houston: The Cougars had their third-lowest scoring half of the season with 25 first-half points. Houston won the rebounding battle 42-33 and had just one second-chance point.
FOUL TROUBLE
Houston and UConn combined for 54 fouls, including 23 fouls in the first half. The UConn bench was whistled for a technical foul with 11:13 left in the second half. Gresham was also whistled for a technical foul, along with James Bouknight, with 5:56 left in the game.
UP NEXT
UConn: Hosts Tulsa on Sunday.
Houston: Hosts South Florida on Sunday.
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