Jamal Shead battled foul trouble but came alive late, burying three jumpers as No. 14 Houston beat Oklahoma State 72-61 Saturday at Fort Worth, Texas.
Shead finished with 18 points and eight assists. His floater with 4:15 left to play silenced a run by the Cowboys (7-4) that cut what was a double-digit lead to two points, and then added a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws that allowed the Cougars (10-2) to reclaim control.
Fabian White and Marcus Sasser scored 15 points apiece for the Cougars, with White adding 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Houston held on despite 19 turnovers and 13 missed free throws.
Houston extended to a nine-point lead in the second half but the Cowboys took advantage of four consecutive missed free throws from Cougars center Josh Carlton, fouled following a pair of offensive rebounds. Avery Anderson III hit a 3-pointer following the first two Carlton missed and Kalib Boone added a monster follow-up dunk that pulled Oklahoma State to within 57-55.
Bryce Williams led the Cowboys with 17 points. Isaac Likekele had eight points, four rebounds and four assists as Oklahoma State shot 3 of 19 from behind the arc and 22 of 33 at the line.
Kyler Edwards caught fire for the Cougars midway through the first half, burying three 3-pointers, the third through a foul, to lift Houston to a 20-11 lead. Edwards and White carried the offense early, with the remaining Cougars just 1 for 6 for three points before Sasser awoke.
Sasser fed Carlton for a dunk and then drilled a pair of 3-pointers, the second of which pushed Houston to a 33-21 lead with 5:10 left in the first half.
But the Cowboys rallied behind Likekele, who converted a layup out of a scrum and later fed Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe for a layup that capped a 7-0 key run that enabled the Cowboys to close to with 35-30 at the intermission.
–Field Level Media