A huge late-game run buoyed Memphis as it snapped No. 6-ranked Houston’s 37-game home winning streak in a 69-59 victory on Saturday.
The Tigers (14-8, 8-4 American Athletic Conference) fell behind 53-48 with 5:05 remaining at the culmination of an 11-0 Cougars run. Memphis took over from there, holding Houston without a point for more than four minutes on a 15-0 run of its own.
Memphis came into Saturday’s matchup shooting just 66 percent from the free-throw line to rank No. 329 in the nation, but the Tigers made seven consecutive free-throw attempts during the decisive run.
The free-throw flurry began when Memphis led by just three points at 56-53 and DeAndre Williams was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:35 remaining. Williams sank all three, followed by Alex Lomax and Landers Nolley II each hitting both ends of one-and-ones for a 63-53 lead with 1:02 to play.
Williams had ignited the 15-0 run with a 3-pointer that cut Houston’s largest lead of the afternoon to 53-51. Lester Quinones followed with a 3-pointer of his own that gave the Tigers a lead they never relinquished at 54-53.
Memphis shot 9 of 22 from 3-point range to Houston’s 7 of 23. The Tigers shot 18 of 19 at the free-throw line, while the Cougars went just 4 of 9.
Four Tigers scored in double-figures, led by Nolley with 20 points. Jalen Duren scored 14 points, including two on a put-back during the run, while Williams and Quinones each added 13. Duren grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to pace Memphis to a 30-26 advantage on the glass.
Houston (20-4, 9-2) fell behind 15-4 to start the game, but battled back to take a 31-28 lead by halftime.
The Cougars gave up a 15-5 run out of the intermission due in part to turnovers. Houston committed 19 turnovers on the day, eight more than its per-game average coming into Saturday’s matchup.
Taze Moore led the Cougars with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Fabian White Jr. added 15 points. Jamal Shead scored 12 points in Houston’s first home loss since December 2019.
Saturday’s defeat also marks the Cougars’ first back-to-back losses since 2017. Houston fell 85-83 at SMU on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
