He may not have hit a buzzer-beating jumper, but Dion Dowell’s rebound and layup attempt with 17.1 seconds to go in the game did save the Cougars from an upset at home.
Dowell snatched the ball out of the air after senior guard Lanny Smith’s drive and miss at the basket and fought through contact, hit a layup off the backboard and secured his team’s 86-79 victory over a highly competitive Coastal Carolina team Monday night at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Dowell’s shot gave Houston an 84-79 lead and seemed to epitomize his performance against the Chanticleers. The senior guard dominated the boards, finishing the game having tied a career-high with 16 rebounds to compliment his 22-point performance on the scoreboard.
"He played tough for us down there," Smith said. "Whether it was grabbing rebounds, defensively or offensively, getting the offensive rebounds and putting it back in. If we didn’t have him down there, it would have been tough for us."
Smith and fellow senior guard Robert "Fluff" McKiver also came through with some huge plays down the stretch to help the Cougars improve to 6-1 on the season.
Smith and Dowell hooked up with 3:59 remaining to give Houston a 77-76 lead after Smith penetrated the lane and kicked it out on the baseline to his teammate, who performed a power dribble, did a spin move in the air and put it in off the backboard for two.
McKiver would later drain a three to extend UH’s lead to 82-77 following an assist from Smith.
Houston head coach Tom Penders said Smith’s court vision and ability to take it inside gave his team the chance to win.
"Lanny gave us key dishes, and (he got) to the paint. Lanny, Brockeith (Pane) and Zamal (Nixon) are the best at getting it into the paint," Penders said. "I didn’t want to leave it in our freshmen’s hands, and Lanny came in and did a good job of getting it to the paint."
McKiver scored 21 points against the Chanticleers but went into a shooting funk early in the second half, going zero-for-five. He said he was able to knock down that shot with 2:14 remaining in the game to give UH an 82-77 lead because he had the mindset of a shooter.
"I had some shots earlier in the half that rimmed in and out, but I said I was just going to stick with (it) and just keep shooting," McKiver said. "That’s what you have to do when you’re a shooter. So I was just grateful to hit the one we needed toward the end."
The Cougars ended the first half having scored a season-high 48 points in 20 minutes. Even so, they only held an 11-point lead.
The Chanticleers kept themselves in the game by relying on their full-court trap, which forced the Cougars into eight turnovers during that half, and shooting a high percentage behind the three-point line, going six-for-10.
The play of Smith and freshman guard Nixon made sure Houston stayed out of any serious trouble.
Smith crossed over Coastal Carolina guard Phil Wallace and did a spin move to avoid another defender to get to the goal and execute a double pump fake in the air before laying it in to give UH a 31-22 lead with 8:27 to go in the first half.
After jumping out to an early 12-1 lead in the first five minutes of play, Houston led the remainder of the half despite Coastal Carolina’s full-court pressure and traps.
