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PROVO — Everything was set for No. 21 BYU basketball's comeback against a top-four Big 12 opponent Tuesday night except the final dagger.
LJ Cryer poured in 23 points, and reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Jamal Shead added 16 points and four assists as No. 4 Houston stormed into the Marriott Center and pulled away with a 75-68 win over No. 21 BYU in front of an announced crowd of 16,553 fans.
Noah Waterman had 17 points with three rebounds to lead BYU, and Jaxson Robinson added 10 points, four assists and three boards.
Fousseyni Traore came off the bench to score 7 points, including a layup with 3:17 to go that pulled BYU within 3 before Waterman tied the game at 68-all on a 3-pointer with 2:12 remaining.
The run came during a scoring drought over two minutes for Houston, propelled by three turnovers in a three-minute span that turned a 13-point deficit midway through the second half into a one-possession game with as many as four minutes remaining.
Trailing 69-68 in the final minute, Trevin Knell missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key moments before fouling out with 8 points and six rebounds with 41.2 seconds left.
BIG TIME THREE!!!!!!!
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 24, 2024
📺: https://t.co/b38uhzL45Gpic.twitter.com/4IAFIcEwoQ
Emanuel Sharpe made both ensuing free throws, and Houston (17-2, 4-2 Big 12) held on to earn its third straight win and second over a top-25 opponent while handing BYU back-to-back losses for the second time since conference play began Jan. 6.
Aly Khalifa added 8 points, five rebounds and three assists for BYU (14-5, 2-4 Big 12).
Houston didn't make a field goal in the final 4:13, but ended the game on a 7-0 run after Waterman's game-tying triple to seal the win from the free-throw line — a clear point of consternation during much of the year from head coach Kelvin Sampson.
"We're getting better at the free-throw line, and we make it when we need them," said Shead, who converted two of the seven fouls shots down the stretch. "We're getting better at the free-throw line, and we've just got to get better at it."
The visiting Cougars also got plenty of help in transition from what they call "unscripted points," converting 13 turnovers into 17 points and snatching 26 of their 41 rebounds off the defensive glass — which the visitors are also bound to do, BYU coach Mark Pope said.
"Houston is the best defensive team in the country," said Pope, noting his respect for Sampson after nearly 35 years of association. "We had some looks we loved that just didn't go. That happens sometimes. Probably the most frustrating thing for us was the defensive glass, which is also what Houston does. They average 15 offensive boards, and they got their average. … Down the stretch, it was really hard for us to do."
Shead had 12 points and two assists at halftime to lead Houston, including a buzzer-beating drive in the closing seconds to take a 41-34 lead.
Houston outrebounded BYU 19-14 and matched the host Cougars with six 3-pointers on Cryer's triple that gave the visiting Cougars a 38-34 advantage with 1:41 showing.
After Hall was forced to the bench with his fourth foul just two minutes into the half, BYU went on a 9-0 run that included six straight by Knell that was capped by a fastbreak three to pull within 46-43 with 16:10 remaining.
BYU held Houston without a field goal for more than four minutes, but the host Cougars couldn't take advantage and Cryer pushed Houston's lead as high as 59-46 on a 3-pointer with 11:15 remaining.
If BYU was going to wilt, they could have. But spurred by another home-court atmosphere that Sampson called "Big 12-ish," the home team rallied back.
Robinson's jumper capped a 14-5 run that pulled BYU within 64-60 with 6:26 remaining, including a run of 5-of-7 from the field that included 6 points from Waterman.
Traore cut the deficit to three 66-63 from the free-throw line with just under five minutes to play, setting the stage for the final minutes.
"This league is super tough," said Hall, who played the final 7:41 saddled with four fouls. "It beats you up, and I think it tested our character tonight. Although things didn't finish how we would have hoped, I thought we did an excellent job of staying together and playing for each other. It's easy for teams to fall apart in those situations, but we really came together and I think that will be super important moving forward for us."
BYU stays home this weekend to host departing Big 12 member Texas at 12 p.m. MST Saturday. The Longhorns have won back-to-back games against ranked opponents after Tuesday night's 75-60 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma.
