San Antonio – This end was sandy and ugly, just as Houston usually likes games.
Except that Florida forced bad shots and ball losses against the Coupars to finish the National Championship Game Monday night.
“The game plan was the most physical team will win,” said the Guard of the Gators, Alijah Martin.
The Coupars had four ball losses at the last 1:21 of their loss of 65-63, the last one ended.
“Great in the section, how hard we play defensive,” said Australian Post Alex Condon. “I think we got nine stops towards the end of the game. Yes, it was just a team effort to get this victory. It was crazy.”
Emanuel Sharp could not get out of a triple with Walter Clayton Jr. running towards him and jumping with his left arm extended. As Houston’s guard was in the air itself, all he could do was let the ball fall to the floor, or be called to travel when his feet went down.
With Sharp desperately projecting Clayton with the hope that one of his teammates could get the ball loose and get out of a shot, Condon divered to the floor and spread to take him out with his hands while running out of the clock.
“He had an incredible shooting contest,” said the Guard of the Couchars, LJ Cryer, about Clayton. “He definitely made a winning play.”
Houston followed only 63 seconds throughout the night, and yet, he did not reach his first national championship.
For Florida, it was a Beautiful ugly. The Gators exceeded a 12 -point deficit after part -time for their third national championship, in their first title game since he won consecutive in 2006 and 2007.
The Gators had not led from 8-6 until Alijah Martin hit two free throws with 46 seconds to climb 64-63. That came just after Cryer was stripped under Houston’s basket and Condon came out with the ball.
Sharp also had a turnover when Will Richard had a robbery with remaining 26 seconds that led to another free kick. Houston then called Timeout with 19 seconds to establish a final play.
Cryer took the ball to Sharp, who had no chance to complete his sweater with Clayton carrying him.
“We had the opportunity to win, they simply did not have a chance,” said Houston J’wan Roberts, who starts from 149 wins while playing in five seasons since he arrived in Houston six years ago.
When the bell rang, Sharp remained crouched on the court near that place for a prolonged period. He was comforted by his teammate J’Vier Francis, and Clayton, as Sharp of the Tampa Bay area.
The Coupars had only nine ball losses throughout the game, but four arrived after Cryr’s recoil of their own lady with 2:29 remaining for an advantage of 62-60.
“I am going through those last two possessions more than anything else. Incomprehensible in that situation that we could not have a chance, we could not shoot,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson saying. “But Florida was doing a good job out of us outside the line and forced us to qualify it. We simply did not do a very good job at the end of some shots.”
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