SAN ANTONIO — Towels covered the faces of Houston’s teary-eyed players.
The locker room was as silent as a library, interrupted only by a scream tinged with agony.
The highest-seeded Cougars’ national championship dream got here up painfully short — in the ultimate seconds of Monday night’s showdown against fellow No. 1 Florida.
Twice in the ultimate half-minute, Houston had a probability to go ahead, and each times those possessions resulted in an Emanuel Sharp turnover — two possessions that can haunt this team for years to return after this 65-63 loss on the Alamodome.
“I’m just going through those last two possessions greater than anything,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Incomprehensible in that situation we couldn’t get a shot [off].”
Two nights ago, Sharp was one in every of the heroes of Houston’s riveting comeback against Duke, hitting a 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds left that ignited a rally from six points down with just over a half-minute to go.
Monday night, the junior guard — Houston’s second-leading scorer — dribbled the ball out of bounds with 26.6 seconds to go.
After Denzel Aberdeen split two free throws to push the Florida result in two, the Cougars had one other shot. Sharp got here off a screen for a 3-point attempt, but Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. was right there.
Sharp had already left his feet, so he dropped the ball to maintain the play alive.
Had he touched it, it could’ve been a traveling violation.
Gators forward Alex Condon dove for the ball.
The clock expired as players desperately tried to achieve possession.
A heartbroken Sharp collapsed on the ground as Gators celebrated around him.
“We’ve been working for this the entire yr, the moment we’ve been waiting for. Coming all the way down to the last game,” Houston forward Joseph Tugler said. “I realize it’s going to harm, break everybody’s heart.”
The Cougars led almost your entire game.
They held a 12-point advantage early within the second half.
Florida didn’t lead within the second half until Alijah Martin hit two free throws with 46.6 seconds left. Houston was ahead for 30:44 of game time.
In the long run, it was the most recent painful finish for Houston, which has been bedeviled in recent times by injuries.
Monday night, the Cougars got here up two points short.
“Sad, disillusioned. I’m confused,” Houston guard Terrance Arceneaux. “In a game like that, that close, it felt like we had control of it the entire game and we just let it go.
“Numerous emotions. Sad time for us. Ain’t really much that may be said. You’re a few stops from winning it. It’s hard to say anything.”
