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AAC Basketball: K.J. Lawson’s 28 leads Memphis to OT win over Houston

By Andrew Nostvick

Jan 19, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Memphis Tigers guard K.J. Lawson (0) puts in the rebound agains the Houston Cougars in the first half at Hofheinz Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Memphis Tigers guard K.J. Lawson (0) puts in the rebound agains the Houston Cougars in the first half at Hofheinz Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Memphis holds on to win an AAC basketball game on the road in final seconds of OT.

The Memphis Tigers held on to get a 70-67 AAC win in overtime over the Houston Cougars Thursday night at Hofheinz Pavilion. Markell Crawford’s late points in the overtime period sealed the win for the Tigers.

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Crawford hit a jumper with 1:59 left to put Memphis up 69-65. He added another free throw with 21 seconds left to give the Tigers a five-point advantage. Galen Robinson Jr. quickly drove the length of the floor to hit a lay-up with 16 seconds left for Houston, but that only cut the lead down to three.

Houston got the ball back with 15 seconds left thanks to a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play. The Cougars missed two game-tying three-point attempts in the final five seconds as Memphis got their second straight win.

The game wound up in overtime after a close back-and-forth battle for the entirety of both halves.

Danrad Knowles sank a free throw with 59 seconds left to give the Cougars a 62-60 lead. Knowles had 13 for the Cougars. Dedric Lawson got fouled with an opportunity to tie the game, but made one free throw as Houston still led 62-61.

Memphis took the lead 64-62 on a foul and free throw with 12 seconds left. The Tigers looked like they’d win in regulation, but Knowles hit a game-tying lay-up in the final seconds to force the overtime.

Rob Gray led Houston in scoring with 21 points. Damyean Dotson recorded 14 points for the Cougars.

But it was the Lawson brothers that were the stars of the show. They combined for 46 points for the Tigers. K.J. Lawson scored 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds, both career-highs. Lawson has scored more than 20 points in two other games this season. Dedric Lawson also had a big night, despite fouling out during the overtime period. He finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

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The win for Memphis gives them a 4-2 record in the conference and 14-5 record overall. The Tigers take on Central Florida Sunday. Houston’s loss drops them to 4-3 in conference play and 13-6 overall. The Cougars take on SMU Saturday.