Houston Baptist made its two free throws in the final seconds, then watched as Santa Clara missed its two opportunities in a 72-71 victory for the Huskies on Wednesday night.
Tyler Russell hit a pair of shots from the foul line with 6.2 seconds left to put Houston Baptist (5-7) on top. Santa Clara's Evan Roquemore was then fouled in the lane with 1.9 seconds remaining and went to the line with a chance to win it. Roquemore was 8 for 8 from the line up to that point, including two with 35.6 seconds left that put Santa Clara ahead 71-70, but missed both final free throws.
Russell had 19 points to lead Houston Baptist, which rallied from a 41-29 halftime deficit. Art Bernardi scored 16, Jonathan Evans 11 and Joe Latas 10.
Kevin Foster led Santa Clara (7-4) with 19 points. Roquemore and Raymond Cowells III added 15 points each, and John McArthur had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
