HOUSTON – In its final weeks before renovation, Hofheinz Pavilion hosted one of its most anticipated games in years.
The only problem, though, was it resulted in a loss for the home team.
Of course, that’s not a problem for SMU.
In a matchup of the American Conference’s first-place and third-place teams, No. 19 SMU (24-4, 14-1 AAC) knocked off Houston (18-8, 9-5 AAC) 76-66 to keep a half-game lead over Cincinnati. The loss was Houston’s first since an 85-64 defeat at Moody Coliseum on Jan. 21, and it snapped a five-game win streak.
Neither team led by more than eight points in the second half, until the final 30 seconds.