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AAC Basketball: Houston hangs on in rematch with Memphis

By Andrew Nostvick

Feb 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Houston Cougars forward Devin Davis (15) goes to the basket against Memphis Tigers guard K.J. Lawson (0) and Memphis Tigers guard Dedric Lawson (1) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Houston Cougars forward Devin Davis (15) goes to the basket against Memphis Tigers guard K.J. Lawson (0) and Memphis Tigers guard Dedric Lawson (1) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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Galen Robinson Jr. blocked a three-point try in final seconds to secure an AAC basketball road win for Houston.

The first meeting between Houston and Memphis went to overtime, with Memphis coming out on top.

Related Story: Cincinnati suffers defeat at hands of UCF

This time around, the Houston Cougars scored a 72-71 road victory on Sunday evening over the Memphis Tigers. Galen Robinson Jr. blocked a three-point attempt by Jeremiah Martin in the final seconds. Both teams swapped the lead late in the game. However, it was Damyean Dotson who sank a free throw with 3.3 seconds remaining to give Houston the lead for good.

Dotson scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Cougars. The senior played a big role early for Houston, recording 15 of his points during the first half.

Houston at one point had a 13-point lead during the first half. However, Memphis rallied, thanks in part to K.J. Lawson, who scored 10 of his 20 points in the first half.

Memphis tried to close the gap, but couldn’t take the lead until late in the 2nd half.

Houston’s win keeps them sitting third in the AAC standings. They’ve now won their second straight game and seven of their last eight.

The more Houston wins, the more it helps their case with the tournament committee. It won’t be easy, however.

What can really help the Cougars cause is to win on the road Thursday night against Cincinnati. The Bearcats are coming off an upset loss to Central Florida. A win against Cincinnati would be Houston’s biggest win this season. They’d be in the conversation at this point, however, had they defeated SMU.

However, the Cougars can answer all the questions by winning the conference tournament outright.

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Winning the conference tournament is the only hope for Memphis. They’ve now lost four in a row and five of the last six games. The Tigers find themselves tied for sixth with Tulsa. They’ll need to win out and need losses from Tulsa and Houston to get into the top five and get a quarterfinal bye. Memphis can help themselves Thursday night in their home finale against Tulane.