Houston Secures a Portion of Big 12 Title with Nervy Win Over UCF – Sky Bulletin

In a gritty show of determination, No. 1 ranked Houston overcame an in-game deficit to defeat UCF 67-59 on Wednesday evening, ensuring at least a partial claim to the Big 12 regular-season championship in a historic first year within the league.

L.J. Cryer emerged as the hero of the night, delivering 19 of his 25 points in the latter half, pivotal to Houston’s (27-3, 14-3) triumph. His significant 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining allowed the Cougars to establish a nine-point advantage. Although UCF (15-14, 6-11) narrowed the gap to four points, Cryer’s subsequent shot reaffirmed Houston’s stronghold.

Throughout the initial half, Houston’s offense struggled, trailing by seven at one point and failing to take the lead. The tide turned when Jamal Shead’s 3-pointer handed them the edge at 45-42, roughly 12 minutes into the second half.

Thanks to their formidable defense, the Cougars held UCF’s scoring in check, with the opposition only managing a single field goal over a span of nearly five minutes, solidifying Houston’s grip on the contest.

Additional contributions came from Shead’s 16 points, and eight assists, while J’Wan Roberts added 12 points and seven rebounds to the winning effort. Cryer excelled from the field, successfully making 9 out of 17 attempts, which included 5 successful 3-pointers.

C.J. Walker was on top for UCF, racking up 15 points, and Jaylin Sellers backed him up with 12 points. Overall, the Knights managed a 45.5% shooting rate in the game, outperforming the Cougars’ 37.5% and notably holding them to just 2 for 11 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Forcing a total of 18 turnovers, Houston capitalized by scoring 22 points from these opportunities, in contrast to UCF’s meager four points off 10 turnovers.

BIG PICTURE

Houston is on the brink of clinching the outright conference title, either with a victory against No. 14 Kansas in their final regular-season game or if No. 6 Iowa State succumbs to defeat in any of its last two matches.

For UCF, securing another win is critical to ensure a season finish over .500 and to position themselves for one of the Big 12’s automatic bids to the NIT.

UP NEXT

Next on the schedule, Houston will face Kansas at home on Saturday, while UCF ventures to TCU to wrap up their regular season on the same day.

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