By EDDIE PELLS
SAN ANTONIO — Houston’s suffocating protection wiped away a 14-point deficit over the ultimate eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils on the Last 4.
Duke made a grand whole of 1 discipline purpose during the last 10 1/2 minutes of this recreation. The second-to-last try was a step-back jumper within the lane by Flagg that J’Wan Roberts disrupted. The final was a desperation heave by Tyrese Proctor that caught nothing on the buzzer.
It was Roberts’ two free throws with 19.6 seconds left that gave the Cougars their first lead since 6-5. LJ Cryer, who led Houston with 26 factors, made two extra to push the result in three. It was Houston’s largest lead of the evening.
The Cougars, who by no means gained a title, not even within the days of Phi Slama Jamma, will play Florida on Monday evening for the championship.
Florida’s 79-73 win over Auburn within the early recreation was a free-flowing hoopsfest. This one would’ve seemed good on a cracked blacktop and a court docket with chain-link nets.
That’s simply how Houston likes it. It closed the sport on an 11-1 run, and although Flagg completed with 27 factors, he did it on 8-for-19 capturing and by no means acquired a very good take care of his 3 on the 3:02 mark put the Blue Devils up by 9.
It seemed over at that time. Houston was simply getting began.
A workforce that prides itself on getting three stops in a row — calling the third one the “kill stop” — allowed a measly three free throws down the stretch.
Houston completed with 4 blocked pictures, together with 4 from its eraser, Joseph Tugler.
