UH Cougars go down the wire in first loss of season at Temple

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- Quinton Rose scored 22 points and Temple handed No. 17 Houston its first loss of the season, 73-69 on Wednesday night.

Corey Davis Jr. was called for a charge in the final second of play, wiping out a tying basket for the Cougars (15-1, 2-1 American Athletic Conference). That left No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Virginia as the only Division I teams without a loss.

Breaon Brady had 19 points to lead the Cougars, who started 15-0 for the first time since the 1967-68 team won its first 31 games. Houston's 15-game winning streak was the school's longest since the 1982-83 season.

Shizz Alston Jr. had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Owls (12-3, 2-1), who have won five of six. Nate Pierre-Louis added 16 points to help Temple beat a Top 25 team for the 12th straight season.

After J.P. Moorman II hit a 3-pointer to put Temple up nine with 7:28 remaining, the Owls went without a field goal for more than six minutes as Houston trimmed the lead to 67-66 behind eight straight points from Brady. A pair of free throws from Pierre-Louis followed by a turnover and Rose's slam put the Owls up 71-66 and got the Liacouras Center crowd on its feet.

Davis answered with a 3 with 37.3 seconds left. But after a Temple shot clock violation, Ernest Aflkapui took a charge from Davis to help the Owls hang on.

Officials conferred and upheld the call before Temple sealed the victory with two free throws - and a small group of students not home for winter break rushed the court in celebration.

BIG PICTURE

Houston: The Cougars were coming off seven straight games at home, where they are carrying a nation-best 28-game winning streak. This visit marked just their third road game of the season, with previous wins coming against BYU and Oklahoma State.

UP NEXT

Houston hosts Wichita State on Saturday.