No. 1 Cougars squander Memphis spoiler hopes in season finale
Almost exactly two years ago - on March 7th, 2021 - then-freshman guard Tramon Mark stunned the Memphis Tigers, drilling a game-winning half-court buzzer-beater to seal victory for UH in their regular season finale.
On Sunday afternoon - in, once again, UH’s regular-season finale - Memphis again fell victim to a stunner from the Cougars.
UH dominated the first half. In front of a hostile, sell-out FedEx Forum crowd, the Cougars wasted no time building a stable lead over the Tigers.
UH led by as many as 11 points in the first half, with none other than now-junior guard Tramon Mark leading the way for Houston’s impressive half. Mark scored 14 points on a 5 for 7 shooting split, also pulling down five rebounds - second only to freshman forward Jarace Walker.
The Cougars led 41-32 at halftime.
Entering the second half, it quickly looked like the tide had turned. Penny Hardaway’s squad put together a formidable two-way performance from the start of the half, cutting a game-high 12-point deficit down and taking the lead over the Cougars with 13:35 left to play.
If their 28-2 record entering Sunday’s game was any indication, Houston is not a team that has once given up amidst a rough stretch.
Their regular-season finale would be no different.
UH kept the score close; a pair of three-pointers and a jumper from Jarace Walker, senior guard Marcus Sasser, and junior guard Jamal Shead, respectively, cut a marginal five-point Memphis lead down quickly and returned the driver’s seat to the #1-ranked Cougars.
Just as Houston refused to relent, so did Memphis. The Tigers stayed close behind, tying the razor-tight game up with just two minutes left to play.
Two years ago, Tramon Mark was the hero.
On Sunday, it was Jamal Shead.
Houston’s final two field goals - and their only pair in the final two minutes - each came from Shead.
After Shead’s first go-ahead jumper, the Cougars held off the Tigers until just the eight-second mark, when they conceded a layup to tie the game at 65-65.
The game looked like it would likely go to overtime. Instead, Shead had something to say, drilling a contested jumper as time expired to hand Houston its 29th win of the season.
Final score: 67-65. Team high scorers: none other than Shead and Mark, each with 16 points.
Whether Houston sees Memphis again this year is yet to be determined. Memphis sits behind Houston in the American Athletic Conference standings with a 13-5 conference record; an opportunity to meet again in the AAC tournament - in a rematch of last year’s conference championship game - looms large.
In the meantime, though, Houston will surely enjoy the statement victory. Sitting at #1 in the AP Top 25, UH’s win strengthens its case for the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.