Cougars fend off Memphis to win 72-71

The Cougars staved off a late second half comeback by the Tigers to beat Memphis 72-71.

With this win, Houston has secured a first-round bye in the American Athletic Conference Championships. Houston moves to a 20-8 overall record, and an 11-5 record in the conference.

Early in the game, Memphis gave up multiple turnovers, which Houston capitalized on to pull out with an early lead.

The Cougars used this momentum to pull up a double-digit lead by the eighth minute of the first half. They reached their highest lead at 13 points, 10 minutes into the game.

Memphis began to catch up in the last part of the first half as redshirt junior Rob Gray found himself in foul trouble. With a little more than…