Milos Uzan scored a career-high 22 points, including a dagger 3-pointer inside the final minute, to lift No. 4 Houston to a 69-61 Big 12 Conference win over No. 10 Texas Tech on Monday.
The Cougars (24-4, 16-1 Big 12) remained unbeaten on the road in conference play and clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title. Houston did so by avenging its lone conference loss after the Red Raiders (21-7, 12-5) snapped the Cougars’ 33-game homecourt winning streak with an overtime victory on Feb. 1.
Texas Tech, which played without injured starters Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams, missed 12 consecutive field goals midway through the second half, allowing Houston to seize its largest lead at 59-49 on a J’Wan Roberts free throw with 3:42 left to play.
The Red Raiders made one final push, slicing the deficit to 62-59 on a pair of Kerwin Walton 3-pointers and two Elijah Hawkins free throws with 1:12 remaining.
But Uzan drilled a 3-pointer of his own with 44.9 seconds left to stem the tide. He finished the game 8-for-15 shooting, including three triples. Roberts added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Emanuel Sharp finished with 10 points for the Cougars.
JT Toppin posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Raiders, while Hawkins and Walton combined for 26 points on 6-for-21 shooting. Texas Tech shot 29.8% overall and used only one bench player throughout the game.
Uzan answered a short Red Raiders spurt with a jumper in the lane and a corner 3-pointer that pushed Houston to a 14-11 lead with 13:33 left in the first half. Hawkins helped Texas Tech pull even with three free throws, but Uzan capped a 7-0 run with a three-point play initiated by his steal and transition layup. Houston upped its 23-19 lead to six points on back-to-back 3s from Sharp.
Neither team closed the half with a flourish. The Red Raiders missed 6 of 7 shots down the stretch while Houston went 0-for-5 over the final 3:24 yet carried a 33-30 lead into the break.
The Cougars led by as many as five points while the Red Raiders’ largest lead was three. The first half featured four ties and eight lead changes, forecasting the tension of the second half.
