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Dominic Smith Sinks Five Free Throws To Give Houston 69-66 Victory
Jan 8, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Dominic Smith made five free throws in the final 27 seconds of the game to lead the University of Houston to a 69-66 victory at Tulane Tuesday night. The Cougars, who trailed by as many as seven points in the opening period, held a 64-61 lead with 1:26 left to play after Kevin Gaines made a five-foot running jump shot in the lane. Tulane tied the game, 64-64, when Waitari Marsh hit a three-point field goal from the top of the key. But on Houston's ensuing possession, Marsh fouled Smith from beyond the three-point arc with 27 seconds left. Smith made all three of his free throws to give the Cougars a 67-64 lead. "Coach (McCallum) tells us that you have to be confident in those situations," Smith said. "I just kept concentrating on the rim and made sure that I bent my knees." A Marsh layup with 13.3 to go cut the deficit to one at 67-66. The Wave fouled Smith immediately on the in-bounds play and once again Smith buried both shots to make the score 69-66. The Green Wave brought the ball up quickly and Brandon Spann went up for a three-shot from the top of the key, but he was blanketed by the Houston defense. So, he dropped a pass to Wayne Tinsley, who quickly rotated the ball to an open Marsh in the left baseline corner. Marsh let his shot fly as the buzzer sounded and it found the bottom of the net. However, referee Scott Thornley ruled the shot no good because Marsh shot it after the buzzer had sounded. The victory gives Houston a 7-6 overall record and the Cougars evened their Conference USA mark to 1-1 with both games being decided by three points. In fact, nine of Houston's 13 games have been decided by seven points or less this season and UH has a 5-4 record in those games.
"I have to give our guys a lot of credit after some close losses," Houston head coach Ray McCallum said. "We were coming off a three-point loss at Saint Louis and three of our last four games by close margins. But, they really stayed focused at the end of the game and was able to pull out the win."
The victory also is Houston's second straight win in Fogelman Arena after the Cougars had lost their first four games on the Green Wave's home court. Smith led the Cougars with 17 points, and Louis Truscott came off the bench to record his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. George Williams also scored 11 points for the Cougars. Tulane (9-4, 1-1 C-USA) was led by junior Nick Sinville, who scored 18 points and added seven rebounds. Marsh added 15 points, 13 of those in the second half, while Spann connected for 12 points. The Cougars return to action on Saturday, January 12, when the Cougars host No. 11 Cincinnati at Hofheinz Pavilion at 3 p.m. on Saturday. |
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