Cougars defeat defending champion UConn for first conference win

Junior guard LJ Rose, who finished with 12 points and a team-leading five assists, takes the challenge of guarding shifty scorer Ryan Boatright. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Senior Mikhail McLean celebrates after securing a loose ball. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Head coach Kelvin Sampson led the Cougars to a 70-68 victory against the Huskies on Sunday. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Junior Danrad Knowles earned seven points and three rebounds in 33 minutes of play. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Davonta Pollard skids by a defender. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Head coach Kelvin Sampson is joined by Houston Rockets James Harden and Isiah Cannon following the Cougars’ 70-68 victory against Connecticut. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

The Cougars joined the crowd for their post game celebration. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

The Cougars joined the crowd for their post game celebration. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

After Jherrod Stiggers’ two free throws in the final four seconds sealed it, the Cougars earned their first conference victory.

The Cougars derailed the defending national champion UConn Huskies on Sunday afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion. They held the lead throughout during a 70-68 victory.

The Cougars withstood a barrage by senior guard Ryan Boatright, who scored 26 points in the final 7:51. Boatright finished with a career-high 31 points.

Stiggers kept the Cougars up on the Huskies as he topped the scoring with 18 points.

The Cougars’ defense locked down the Huskies attack from the field as they were limited to a 39.1 shooting percentage from the field. Five unanswered steals, two from junior guard L.J. Rose,  gave Houston the advantage it needed to pressure UConn with a constant offensive attack.

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Tags: AAC, American, UH