Haws Hits Buzzer-Beater To Give BYU An Upset Win Over Houston

SALT LAKE CITY – BYU basketball wasn’t given much of a shot to pull off the upset against the Houston Cougars. But the Cougars in blue would not be denied.

BYU defeated Houston 72-71 and it took a game-winning shot at the buzzer from senior guard TJ Haws to give the Cougars their best non-conference win on the road in years.

With 5.1 seconds left in regulation and BYU down one, forward Connor Harding inbounded the ball to Haws. Haws then dribbled down court and let a shot fly while falling to his right over Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes and the ball hit the rim then dropped in the hoop to give BYU the big win.

TJ Haws beats Houston at the buzzer! #BYU pic.twitter.com/SSFg8H8Yeb

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) November 16, 2019

Right after the ball through the hoop, BYU players stormed the court and celebrated with Haws. The Cougars then continued the celebration with former BYU head coach Dave Rose and his wife Cheryl who were sitting courtside at the game.

“The fight of our guys is really fun,” said Mark Pope to BYU Sports Network postgame on KSL Newsradio. “They’re just fighting. We had guys out there on dead legs, they just fought every second they were out there. TJ (Haws) comes down off that drag screen and pulls up and that ball hit the very front of the rim and then it hung in the air for a long time. It was just an epic moment.”

What a win for @BYUbasketball. Cougars were an 11.5-point underdog entering the night and had a 20% chance of victory according to KenPom. #BYU hands Houston their second loss in the history of the Fertitta Center. #BYUhoops #KSLsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 16, 2019

BYU led for the majority of the game, but Houston went on a run late in the second half. Houston took a 71-70 lead with 1:12 remaining in the game. It was the Coogs first lead since they were up 5-3 early in the first half.

Things were going sideways for BYU after Houston took the lead, but Mark Pope’s team kept fighting. BYU was able to overcome a blocked shot and two turnovers to have a chance for the TJ Haws game-winner.

After Toolson committed BYU’s second turnover in the final minute, Houston’s Nate Hinton was on a fastbreak with a clear path to the rim for a dunk. Officials called Hinton for a carry allowing BYU to get the ball back and ultimately come away victorious.

Haws finished the night with 10 points. Alex Barcello led BYU with 16 points in the one-point victory.

Next Up

BYU travels to Boise, Idaho for a road game against Boise State on Wednesday, November 20th at 8 p.m. (MT) on CBS Sports Network and KSL Newsradio.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.