HOUSTON – Â An old-fashioned Southwest Conference rivalry was renewed on Wednesday.
And after Texas point guard Myck Kabongo sank two free-throws with :37 seconds left, giving Texas the lead, 72-71, it looked as if the Longhorns would prevail.
Then Danuel House happened.
Houston’s freshman guard hit a jumper with :12 seconds left, and the Cougars beat the Longhorns, 73-72, in the first round of the CBI Invitational, and move on to face George Mason.
Houston (20-12 ) had balance scoring throughout their roster, led by Joseph Young, who had a team-high 18 points — including four three-pointers. TaShawn Thomas, the 2013 Conf-USA Player of the Year, added 15 points and 10 boards. House contributed 11 points, and six assists.
Julien Lewis led the Horns with a career-high 27 points, while Prince Ibeh added his first career double-double, with 12 and 11. Kabongo chimed in with 17 points and, six assists in perhaps his final game as a Longhorn.
Texas leading scorer, Sheldon McClellan had a horrendous night. He went 2-of-13 from the field, and finished with four points.
Houston led, 37-31 at halftime. The Cougars completed the two-day sweep of their matchup with Texas. The baseball team defeated the Horns, 4-3, Tuesday night.
Texas finishes the year at 16-18.