Jamal Shead lifts No. 1 Houston past Oklahoma with last-second bucket to grab 87-85 win

It took a last second shot from Jamal Shead, but the Cougars survived a scare in Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday night.

No. 1 Houston, after blowing a 15-point lead in the second half, found a way to beat Oklahoma 87-85 at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday. With the game tied in the final seconds, Shead missed a layup at the rim but managed to grab the rebound. He recovered in the short corner and threw up a fadeaway bucket that fell perfectly with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock

Houston then just had to tip away one final pass from Oklahoma to seal the two-point win.

After a slow first half, which Houston only led 48-45 after a L.J. Cryer buzzer-beater, the Cougars flew ahead early in the second half to a 15-point lead midway through the period. The Sooners seemed well out of it.

But slowly, Oklahoma chipped away at the lead before Javian McCollum made a layup tie it back up, 85-85, with just 11 seconds left on the clock. That shot, which capped a quick 7-3 burst, then set up Shead’s final bucket.

Cryer led Houston with 23 points in the win after he shot 5-of-9 from the field. J'Wan Roberts added 20 points, and Shead finished with 14 points and six assists. Houston shot nearly 57% from the field as a team, and 53% from the 3-point line.

Houston has now won seven straight and 12 of its last 13 games and maintains a one-game lead in the Big 12. The Cougars, who overtook UConn to claim the No. 1 ranking last week, will take on UCF next on Wednesday before hosting No. 7 Kansas next Saturday.

Sam Goodwin led the Sooners with 17 points and seven rebounds. Rivaldo Soares added 16 points, and Jalon Moore finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Sooners have now lost four of their last five games, and dropped to 19-10 on the season. They’ll host Cincinnati next on Tuesday before traveling to Texas next weekend to close the regular season.