LAS VEGAS — Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan made sure No. 3 Houston stayed unbeaten and they did it almost single-handedly in overtime. Sharp and Uzan each scored 26 points and combined for all 11 of the Cougars’ points in the extra period as Houston outlasted Syracuse 78–74 on Monday in the opening round of the Players Era event in Las Vegas.
Uzan, playing in his hometown, scored six points in overtime while Sharp added five, helping the Cougars improve to 6–0. Chris Cenac Jr. gave Houston a huge lift on the glass, finishing with eight points all after halftime and 12 rebounds.
Tyler Betsey led Syracuse (4–1) with 16 points, while Kiyan Anthony, playing in front of his father former Orange and NBA star Carmelo Anthony added 10 off the bench. Syracuse pushed Houston to the brink despite being without its leading scorer, Donnie Freeman, who averages 17.8 points per game and missed the game with a lower-body injury.
Orange Crush
The Orange may have let a signature early-season upset slip away at the free throw line. Syracuse shot just 12-for-29 at the stripe, a glaring blemish in an otherwise gutsy performance that forced last year’s national runner-up to work to survive.
Houston appeared to take control late in regulation. Clinging to a small lead, the Cougars ripped off a 9–0 run to go up 65–54 with 4:56 remaining. But Syracuse refused to fold.
The Orange answered with an 11–0 run of their own, capped when Betsey buried a transition 3-pointer with 54.6 seconds left to tie the game at 67–67. Neither side could break through in the final minute, sending the matchup into overtime.
Once there, Sharp and Uzan took over.
Houston leaned heavily on its starting group all night. Syracuse, meanwhile, got contributions up and down the lineup and held a 26–7 edge in bench scoring. That depth combined with the Cougars’ occasional offensive lulls kept the game tight far longer than many expected.
In the end, though, the Cougars’ backcourt star power made the difference. Sharp and Uzan controlled the ball, hit timely shots, and made enough plays down the stretch to keep Houston’s perfect start intact and send the Orange to their first loss of the season.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
