Johnson took the inbounds pass and drove down floor. With Houston's defense concentrating on UAB's leading scorer Robert Vaden, Johnson took it all the way to the basket and arched the game-winning shot over 6-10 Marcus Cousin.
After a time-out, Houston got the ball to Malone near midcourt and he launched a long shot that was off target at the buzzer.
Reggie Huffman led UAB with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Blazers (18-8, 8-3 USA Conference) got 22 points from Lawrence Kinnard, 18 from Channing Toney and 15 from Vaden.
Robert McKiver had 41 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead Houston. The Cougars (19-6, 8-3 CUSA) got 23 points from DaShaun Williams and 17 from Dion Dowell.
UAB appeared to be in good shape when Vaden hit a 3-pointer to give the Blazers a 94-88 lead with 2:54 remaining. But a driving basket by Williams, two free throws by McKiver and a long 3 by McKiver tied it 95-95 with 1:43 left.
The two teams swapped baskets the rest of the way until Johnson's driving layup decided the outcome.
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