SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KTRK) — Houston’s historic season ended in heartbreak Monday night as the Cougars fell 65-63 to Florida in a thrilling NCAA championship showdown that came down to the final seconds.
The Coogs faced the Florida Gators on Monday night in San Antonio.
ABC13’s Brandon Hamilton was in San Antonio along the River Walk Monday morning and spoke to Houston fans packing the Alamo city for the many festivities.
“One of the best experiences in my life. After having kids, getting married, this is number three for sure,” one Coog fan said.
Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 11 points, all in the second half, but what he’ll be remembered for most is getting Houston’s Emanuel Sharp to stop in the middle of his motion as he tried to go up for the game-winning 3 in the final seconds.
Clayton ran at him, Sharp dropped the ball and, unable to pick it up lest he get called for traveling, watched it bounce there while the clock ticked to zero.
Will Richard had 18 points to keep the Gators (36-4) in it, and they won their third overall title and first since 2007, this time led by third-year coach Todd Golden. The Cougars (35-5) and coach Kelvin Sampson were denied their first championship.
This was a defensive brawl, and for most of the night, Clayton got the worst of it.
He was 0 for 4 from the field without a point through the first half. He didn’t score until 14:57 was left in the game. He finished with one 3-pointer and, before that, a pair of three-point plays that kept the Gators in striking range.
It was Florida’s defense, not Houston’s, that controlled the final minute.
After Alijah Martin made two free throws to put Florida ahead 64-63 – its first lead since 8-6 – the Gators lured Sharp into a triple-team in the corner, where Richard got him to dribble the ball off his leg and out of bounds.
Florida made one free throw on the next possession, and that set up the finale. The ball first went to L.J. Cryer, who led the Cougars with 19 points. Blanketed by Richard, he threw to Sharp, who was moving to spot up for a 3 when Clayton ran at him. That left him with no choice but to let the ball go.
Sampson, who designed a defense that held Florida under 70 points for only the second time this season, looked on in shock.
Instead of the 69-year-old becoming the oldest coach to win the title, the 39-year-old Golden becomes the youngest since N.C. State’s Jim Valvano in 1983 to win it all — also against Houston.
The Gators trailed by 12 points early in the second half, and Clayton wasn’t the only one getting frustrated.
The Florida bench got a technical foul during a quick span of three foul calls in less than a minute. Later in the second half, Houston’s smothering defense baited Rueben Chinyelu into a technical after committing a foul.
But that wasn’t enough. Houston ends up at the same place as the Phi Slama Jama teams of the 1980s – in second place, but memorable.
This gut-wrenching loss came two nights after the Cougars fashioned a wild comeback of their own, from 14 down against Duke.
All three Final Four games were decided down the stretch, none by more than six.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.
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