No. 2 Houston’s rude welcome to life on the road in its new conference continued as it fell to 0-2 in Big 12 away games with a dramatic 68-67 loss at TCU on Saturday. Emanuel Miller converted a contested layup with six seconds left before Micah Peavy came up with a game-clinching steal in the final seconds as Houston failed to attempt a potential game-winning shot.
Fans rushed the court at Schollmaier Arena in celebration as TCU improved to 13-3 (2-1 Big 12) after beginning conference play with three straight games against top-10 foes. Houston (14-2, 1-2) led by 12 in the first half but suffered through another poor 3-point shooting performance in what is becoming a persistent problem for the Cougars early in conference play.
In a 57-53 loss at Iowa State on Tuesday, Houston made just 3 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc. Against TCU, it made only 4 of 18. Even in an 89-55 home win over West Virginia to start Big 12 play last week, Houston made only 4 of 23 attempts from 3-point land. Collectively, it is shooting just just 19.6% from 3-point range through three league games after making 35.7% of its 3-pointers against league opposition while playing in the weaker AAC last season.
Jamal Shead did deliver a 3-pointer in a critical moment to put the Cougars up 67-63 with 1:27 remaining. But Trevian Tennyson quickly responded with a trey for the Horned Frogs, who were led by 13 points from Miller. Tennyson added 12 and Avery Anderson scored 11 for TCU. J’Wan Roberts led Houston with 20 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.
Welcome to the Big 12
Houston posted a 46-7 mark in conference games during its final three seasons in the AAC and advanced beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament on all three occasions. The relative ease of the Cougars’ league enabled them to dominate with gaudy winning percentages as they imposed their will on overmatched with athleticism and…
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