No. 1 Houston beats UCF 67-59 to clinch at least a share of Big 12 title in 1st season in conference
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — L.J. Cryer scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half to lift No. 1 Houston to a come-from-behind 67-59 victory over UCF on Wednesday night and clinch at least a share of the regular-season Big 12 title in the Cougars' first season in the conference.
Houston (27-3, 14-3) led by nine points after a Cryer 3-pointer with 2:18 to play. UCF (15-14, 6-11) closed to within four with just over a minute to play, and then Cryer hit another clutch shot to pull away for the win.
The Cougars trailed by as many as seven points and never led in the first half. They did not take their first lead until Jamal Shead drained a 3 to make it 45-42 with about 12 minutes to play in the second half.
Houston’s defense stifled UCF throughout the second half, holding them to one field goal over nearly five minutes to take control of the game.
