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Sports

OT thriller goes well for UH

Lafayette hits game winner to cap a second-half comeback

by CHRIS ELLIOTT
The Daily Cougar

The play may not have been by design, but senior guard Oliver Lafayette nailed it. The buzzer sounded, the three-pointer fell and a new-look Houston squad picked up its first win of the season 102-99 in overtime at Rhode Island on Monday night.

Rhode Island guard Jimmie Baron hit a 15-footer to tie the score at 99 after pushing the ball up the court following UH junior guard Robert McKiver's miss on a second free throw attempt. In a game that seemed like a high-speed chess match, Houston would have the edge to get to the king just a tad bit quicker than its counterpart.

"We told Oliver (Lafayette) we wanted him to drive to the bucket unless they just fell off it, but he was watching the clock," Houston head coach Tom Penders said. "He kept his eye on the shot clock, and I hate to say that we practice these things but we do. And you want to get the last shot in that situation."

Lafayette did not get the win by himself, however. The Cougars would have been left out in the cold were it not for some clutch shooting by fellow guard Marcus Malone. The junior newcomer out of Lee College hit several three-pointers to keep Houston within striking distance of the Rams, including a shot from downtown with about three minutes remaining to cut the deficit to 85-82. Malone finished the night with 25 points and was dead-on from behind the arc, shooting 6-of-10 from three-point land.

"He was right there. He hit some tough shoots. He stuck with (it). He kept shooting the ball. (Even though) he missed two in a row, he just kept shooting," junior guard Robert "Fluff" McKiver said. "He's the one that really won this game for us down the stretch and of course Lafayette (helped us out) with the last one." 

In his debut as a Cougar, McKiver lit the Rams up for 32 points on the night. He was 7-of-12 from three-point territory, providing more than a fourth of Houston's offense, but it was his free-throw shooting in critical situations that contributed most to his team's win. McKiver hit 8-of-11 attempts from the charity stripe.

Houston, which shot poorly from the free-throw line last season, hit 71 percent on the night, overcoming first-half woes.

The Cougars also had to overcome a first-half scoring deficit. Entering the second half of the game 45-40, Houston would have to fight from behind and go on a series of runs to gain some momentum.

Malone led the Cougars on one of those runs early in the second half. After trailing 55-45 with about 16 minutes left, Malone drained two consecutive three balls, pushing Houston on a 14-4 run that would eventually tie the game at 69 with 11:50 remaining. Lafayette capped off the run with two free-throws.

For Penders, his team's ability to pull off a last second comeback win on the road speaks volumes.

"To win on the road and come from behind. It's huge," Penders said. "You can't measure it right now, but I've been around a long time…a lot of our new people stepped up."

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