Jan. 7, 2006

Final Stats

HOUSTON (AP) - Jahmar Thorpe hit an 18-foot jumper with 24 seconds to play, propelling Houston to an 86-83 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in double overtime on Saturday night.

The shot gave the Cougars (9-3) an 85-83 lead. Chris Lawson hit a free throw with 11.2 seconds left for the final margin.

Houston trailed by as many as 10 points, 51-41, with 14:29 left to play. But, Lanny Smith hit one of his two free throws and Brian Latham scored four points off a pair of steals to bring the Cougars back to within five,51-46, with 13:32 left to play.

Oliver Lafayette gave Houston its first lead in the second half, 55-53 with 10:07 left to play when he nailed a three-point shot from the right wing.

The two teams exchanged five lead changes and six ties before Houston's Jahmar Thorpe hit a second-chance lay-up with three seconds left in regulation to tie the score a seven time, 73-73.

Latham had a chance to win the game for the Cougars with 0.8 seconds remaining in the first overtime and the game tied at 77, but he missed two free throws, sending the game to double OT.

In the second overtime period, Houston jumped out to a four point lead when Latham made one of his two free throws and Ramon Dyer nailed a three-point shot to give the Cougars an 81-77 lead. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tied the score one last time at 83-all with 1:43 left to play, before Thorpe and Lawson scored the final four points of the game.

Dyer led Houston with 19 points. Thorpe and Smith had 13 points each, while Latham added 12 points. Smith also finished with nine assists.

Aaron White led the Islanders (10-6) with a game-high 22 points. Chris Daniels had 20 and 13 rebounds before fouling out in the final second of the first overtime period.

The win ups Houston's record to 9-3 this season, and that marks the second straight year the Cougars have won nine non-conference games. Houston opens its Conference USA schedule at cross-town rival Rice University next Wednesday night. It will be Rice's first game as a member of Conference USA.