For a Houston team cruising through AAC play, Sunday was supposed to be a cakewalk at home.
Temple had other ideas. The Owls stifled the top-ranked Cougars from the opening tip and closed the game with a dramatic defensive stand to secure a stunning 56-55 upset.
The Owls took a late lead on a Damian Dunn free throw with 1:06 remaining then turned back two Cougars layups in the game's final seconds. With the clock ticking below 10 seconds, Houston's All-AAC guard Jamal Shead attacked the basket for a go-ahead layup. Temple's Kur Jongkuch rotated from the help side to pin the attempt on the backboard.