Demarco Stepter had a double-double as UTSA won its 13th straight non-conference home game by edging Houston 83-82 Friday.
Stepter had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Roadrunners (9-3). Omar Johnson scored 16, including a 3-pointer that put UTSA ahead to stay with 1:31 left.
Zamal Nixon hit 12 of 19 shots to lead the Cougars (7-5) with 29 points. Kelvin Lewis added 14.
The Cougars had 11 steals and forced 22 turnovers, but the big difference was at the free throw line. UTSA converted 24 of 27, while Houston made only 13 of 22.
Johnson's 3-pointer put UTSA on top 81-79. Then he hit two free throws to make it 83-79 with 53 seconds left.
Nixon's layup and free throw cut the deficit to one with 46 seconds left. UTSA turned it over with 10 seconds left and Houston had one last chance, but Nixon's shot missed.
