On Monday, the Houston Cougars took on the Florida Gators in the men’s basketball NCAA National Championship game.
Clinging to just a two-point lead, the Gators held off Houston on the last possession of the game to secure the narrow 65-63 victory.
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L.J. Cryer was Houston’s leading scorer with 19 points, 14 of which were scored in the second half. Will Richard led the way for the Gators with 18.
The win secures Florida’s third championship in program history, as the team won their first two in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007. In just his third season in Gainesville, head coach Todd Golden has a championship under his belt.
For at least one more year, Houston’s championship trophy case will remain empty. The Cougars have now made three trips to the national championship game, losing all three.
Game recap
First half
The game got off to a slow start on offense, as the two talented teams seemed to be feeling each other out. The Cougars had a 14-10 lead after the game’s first 10 minutes, with neither team hitting a three-pointer.
The triples started falling in the next few minutes, and the scoring picked up. With the score tied at 21 and just over six minutes to play in the first half, the Cougars went on an 8-0 scoring run through a three from L.J. Cryer and a pair of buckets from Mylik Wilson.
Buckets from Will Richard got the Gators back in it, but Houston clung to a 31-28 advantage at the break.
Second half
The Cougars came out of the locker room energized, starting the second half with an 11-2 scoring run that gave them a double-digit advantage.
Just when the game looked to be getting away from the Florida, the Gators swung back. Denzel Aberdeen, Alijah Martin, and Thomas Haugh scored crucial buckets that helped give the Gators new life. With 10 minutes to play, the Cougars still led, 48-42.
Walter Clayton Jr., who was held scoreless in the first half, took advantage of some fouls and opportune layups to get on the board in the second half. With seven minutes to play, he tied the game back up at 51 with a free throw.
The teams went back and forth from there, with Houston taking a slim lead and Florida immediately responding.
With just over two minutes to play, Houston’s Joseph Tugler gave the Coogs a 63-62 lead with a free throw.
The teams traded possessions without a score for the next minute and change, until Martin gave the Gators the lead with a pair of makes from the free throw line.
On Houston’s next possession, Emanuel Sharp was stripped and lost the ball out of bounds for a turnover. Florida almost gave it right back after inbounding, but Aberdeen was able to corral the loose ball and force a foul. He went 1-for-2 at the line to extend the Gators’ lead to 65-63.
On the last possession, Houston was unable to get a shot up, and the Gators survived with the win.
