The Cougars have made it to the final four. Their 91-67 victory over Valparaiso on Monday night sealed the deal.
The College Basketball Invitational is not exactly the NCAA or the National Invitational Tournament, but senior guard Robert "Fluff" McKiver said after the game that he’s going to continue to play all out either way.
"It means a lot. It is always the best when you get out on the court," McKiver said. "Of course, it’s not the NCAA Tournament, as everybody knows, but you are going out there and competing. We are definitely honored to be able to play another game."
Junior guard Kelvin Lewis knocked down a fade away 3-pointer with the assist from freshman guard Horace McGloster to give Houston a 69-47 lead with 11:11 remaining.
From that point the Cougars never looked back and led by as much as 28 before the final buzzer sounded.
Lewis was consistent and efficient from behind the 3-point line. He shot 7-for-13 from downtown on his way to a career-high 28 points. His teammates say his work ethic is finally starting to show in all aspects of his game.
"Kelvin Lewis works real hard. He is going to be a big impact next year. He works real hard, and not just on his shot," senior forward Tafari Toney said. "He works on everything, (including) defense, and he brings it to practice and brings it back to the game. Just like everyone else. Horace McGloster came out there, and Marcus Malone and DeShaun (Williams) came out there and gave great defense. And everyone’s mindset was defense."
Houston, of course, received its usual offensive contribution from McKiver. He’s been known to automatically drop 20 per night, and Monday was no exception. After starting off the game a tad sluggish by his standards, McKiver dropped 21 in the second half to finish with 33 points.
"I think I was just thinking too much," McKiver said. "’Am I following through, am I doing this, or am I doing that?’ Sometimes I adjust my shot; I just go out there and just shoot the ball. So I think that is how I got my groove back."
Houston entered the second half with a domineering 45-32 lead after closing out the first 20 minutes with a 16-5 run, which was highlighted by a rim-rattling, two-handed jam by Toney with 3:47 left that gave Houston a 36-27 lead.
Toney turned in one of his usual scrappy performances. The Cougars’ designated garbage man threw down a second crowd-igniting dunk in the second half on his way to 10 points and recorded his second career double-double after grabbing 12 rebounds.
"(Rebounding) is my job. Coach gives you a job to do and you have to do it," Toney said. "You have to go out there and rebound. It is not even just the job; you obviously want to help the team. So the rebounding is crucial out there. Everybody knows we are one of the smallest teams around, but you can’t show it. You have to fight. You have to say that we are here."
In the middle of the first half Houston needed something to spark its stagnant offense. Lewis responded by draining two consecutive threes, the second of which fell with 8:57 remaining in the half to give Houston a 25-20 lead, its largest of the game to that point.
The Cougars will play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday at Tulsa.
