Adam Brown scored 22 points, including a late layup that give Houston the lead for good, and the Cougars edged SMU 70-68 on Saturday.
Brown's field goal with 1:40 remaining put Houston up 67-66, and the Cougars (10-6, 2-1 Conference USA) held on to win for the fourth time in five games. Alandise Harris led Houston with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Darian Thibodeaux had 17 points.
Papa Dia finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Mustangs (10-7, 1-2), and Robert Nyakundi added 22 points.
Neither team led by more than six, and there were nine lead changes in the final 11:38.
Following Brown's layup, Harris hit two free throws before Dia's dunk made it 69-68 with 5 seconds to play. Zamal Nixon then hit 1-of-2 free throws for Houston before Mike Walker missed a 3 at the buzzer.
