Emanuel Sharp’s 21 points included a 3-pointer and two key free throws in the final 30 seconds as No. 4 Houston outlasted gritty Texas A&M 70-66 on Saturday in the Halal Guys Showcase in Houston.
The Cougars (11-0) led by 15 points at halftime and by 21 with four and a half minutes gone in the second half. Texas A&M then mounted a rousing comeback, pulling to within 57-53 on Andersson Garcia’s putback dunk with 4:33 to play.
Houston answered with a 3-pointer by Sharp and then got a huge block and a 3-pointer from Jamal Shead for 63-56 with 2:42 remaining in regulation.
But the Aggies kept coming, tying the game at 63 on a shot from beyond the arc by Wade Taylor IV as part of seven straight A&M points scored by Taylor, the Southeastern Conference Preseason Player of the Year.
Houston went ahead via a dunk by Ja’vier Francis off a Shead assist and then a 3-pointer by Sharp with 29 seconds to play off another Shead feed for a 68-63 advantage.
Taylor poured in 3-pointer eight seconds later to cut the deficit to two points. The Aggies’ Henry Coleman III was fouled with 5.8 seconds remaining and went to the line with a chance to tie the game but missed on the front end of a 1-and-1 chance.
Sharp then canned two free throws with 5 seconds left to ice the Houston win.
L.J. Cryer added 17 points for the Cougars while Shead had 12 and J’Wan Roberts hit for 10 points and took down 11 rebounds.
Taylor led all scorers with 34 points, with Coleman grabbing 12 rebounds for Texas A&M (7-4).
The Aggies were up to the task early, scoring the game’s first seven points capped by two free throws by Coleman at the 17:15 mark of the first half. Houston answered with a 9-1 run that was punctuated by Cryer’s free throws with 13:22 to play in the half.
The Cougars expanded their advantage with a 10-3 run finalized by Joseph Tugler’s jumper with 6 minutes remaining before halftime. Sharp’s late 3-pointer granted Houston a 38-23 advantage at the break.
Cryer’s 13 points before halftime led all scorers while Sharp added 10 for Houston. Taylor led the Aggies with eight points in the first half as A&M went just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
