Gray scored nine of his 13 points over the final 3:33, sinking a 3-pointer that gave the Cougars the lead for good before adding a pullup jumper and four free throws, his last six points coming inside the final 61 seconds of play. Gray shot just 3-for-13 but, like his teammates, proved clutch in shocking the Bearcats, who had their 16-game winning streak snapped with their first loss in American Athletic Conference action. Houston went 8-for-8 from the line in the final minute.

Devin Davis and Corey Davis Jr. scored 16 points apiece for the Cougars (20-5, 10-3 AAC), who avenged a 10-point loss at Cincinnati on Jan. 31 in which they coughed up an 18-point lead. Houston improved to 13-0 at home this season by giving the defensive-minded Bearcats a taste of their own medicine, holding Cincinnati without a field goal for nearly 12 minutes in the second half.

Jacob Evans paced Cincinnati (23-3, 12-1) with 16 points. His basket through a foul with 18.1 seconds left was the Bearcats' first field goal since Kyle Washington converted a second-chance basket at the 12:14 mark. Cincinnati scored 17 consecutive points from the line before the basket by Evans, who added a meaningless 3 at the buzzer for the Bearcats' sixth basket of the half.

Jarron Cumberland scored 14 points and Gary Clark 13 for Cincinnati, which shot 38.6 percent. The Bearcats entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage defense (36.1) but allowed Houston to shoot 48 percent from the floor.

The Bearcats held the Cougars to 1-for-3 shooting while forcing four turnovers over the opening four minutes of the game to fuel a 13-0 run before Devin Davis responded with a runner that only momentarily stemmed the Bearcats' tide. Cincinnati led by as many as 13 points before Houston began clawing back, starting with a 12-4 rally spanning a physical seven-minute stretch.

The Cougars committed nine first-half turnovers yet went into intermission trailing 27-24 following late baskets from Armoni Brooks and Devin Davis that closed the rugged first half.

--Field Level Media