Houston 70, Connecticut 68: Four players scored in double figures, led by Jherrod Stiggers’ 18 points, to help the host Cougars withstand a furious rally by the defending national champion Huskies in an American Athletic Conference game.

Devonta Pollard added 12 points and five rebounds, and L.J. Rose chipped in 12 points and five assists for Houston (9-12, 1-8 AAC), which won for the first time in AAC play this season. LeRon Barnes had 11 points and five rebounds for the Cougars, who committed only one turnover to UConn’s 12 miscues.

Ryan Boatright had a career-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers, and eight rebounds to lead UConn (11-9, 4-4), which trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half. Amida Brimah chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out late, and Daniel Hamilton had seven points and 14 rebounds for the Huskies.

Houston led by as many as 10 points in the first half but UConn, powered by Brimah’s seven points and five rebounds, made six of its last nine shots of the half to remain in contention. The Cougars, who never trailed in the first half, got nine points from Stiggers, all via 3-pointers, and took a 28-25 lead into intermission.

Houston scored the first six points of the second half for a 34-25 lead, and UConn suffered through a stretch in which it missed 9-of-11 shots from the field. The Cougars led 48-33 thanks to Barnes’ dunk with 11:17 to play before the Huskies eventually pulled as close as two points, 70-68, on Boatright’s 3-pointer with two seconds remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: UConn outrebounded Houston, 51-35. … Boatright scored 26 of the Huskies’ final 28 points. … The Cougars beat the Huskies, 75-71, the last time they met at Hofheinz Pavilion on Dec. 31, 2013, in the inaugural AAC game for both teams.