SAN ANTONIO — Towels coated the faces of Houston’s teary-eyed gamers.
The locker room was as silent as a library, interrupted solely by a scream tinged with agony.
The highest-seeded Cougars’ nationwide championship dream got here up painfully quick — within the last seconds of Monday evening’s showdown towards fellow No. 1 Florida.
Twice within the last half-minute, Houston had an opportunity to go forward, and each occasions these possessions resulted in an Emanuel Sharp turnover — two possessions that can hang-out this group for years to come back after this 65-63 loss on the Alamodome.
“I’m just going through those last two possessions more than anything else,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson mentioned. “Incomprehensible in that situation we couldn’t get a shot [off].”
Two nights in the past, Sharp was one of many heroes of Houston’s riveting comeback towards Duke, hitting a 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds left that ignited a rally from six factors down with simply over a half-minute to go.
Monday evening, the junior guard — Houston’s second-leading scorer — dribbled the ball out of bounds with 26.6 seconds to go.
After Denzel Aberdeen break up two free throws to push the Florida result in two, the Cougars had one other shot. Sharp got here off a display for a 3-point try, however Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. was proper there.
Sharp had already left his toes, so he dropped the ball to maintain the play alive.
Had he touched it, it could’ve been a touring violation.
Gators ahead Alex Condon dove for the ball.
The clock expired as gamers desperately tried to realize possession.
A heartbroken Sharp collapsed on the ground as Gators celebrated round him.
“We’ve been working for this the whole year, the moment we’ve been waiting for. Coming down to the last game,” Houston ahead Joseph Tugler mentioned. “I know it’s going to hurt, break everybody’s heart.”
The Cougars led virtually the whole recreation.
They held a 12-point benefit early within the second half.
Florida didn’t lead within the second half till Alijah Martin hit two free throws with 46.6 seconds left. Houston was forward for 30:44 of recreation time.
In the long run, it was the newest painful end for Houston, which has been bedeviled in recent times by accidents.
Monday evening, the Cougars got here up two factors quick.
“Sad, disappointed. I’m at a loss for words,” Houston guard Terrance Arceneaux. “In a recreation like that, that shut, it felt like we had management of it the entire recreation and we simply let it go.
“A lot of emotions. Sad time for us. Ain’t really much that can be said. You’re a couple of stops from winning it. It’s hard to say anything.”
