PHILADELPHIA — Quinton Rose scored 22 points and Temple handed No. 17 Houston its first loss of the season, 73-69 on Wednesday night.
Corey Davis Jr. was called for a charge in the final second of play, wiping out a tying basket for the Cougars (15-1, 2-1 American Athletic Conference). That left No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Virginia as the only Division I teams without a loss.
Breaon Brady had 19 points to lead the Cougars, who started 15-0 for the first time since the 1967-68 team won its first 31 games. Houston's 15-game winning streak was the school's longest since the 1982-83 season.
Shizz Alston Jr. had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Owls (12-3, 2-1), who have won five of six. Nate Pierre-Louis added 16 points to help Temple beat a Top 25 team for the 12th straight season.
After J.P. Moorman II hit a 3-pointer to put Temple up nine with 7:28 remaining, the Owls went without a field goal for more than six minutes as Houston trimmed the lead to 67-66 behind eight straight points from Brady. A pair of free throws from Pierre-Louis followed by a turnover and Rose's slam put the Owls up 71-66 and got the Liacouras Center crowd on its feet.
Davis answered with a 3 with 37.3 seconds left. But after a Temple shot clock violation, Ernest Aflkapui took a charge from Davis to help the Owls hang on.
Officials conferred and upheld the call before Temple sealed the victory with two free throws - and a small group of students not home for winter break rushed the court in celebration.
BIG PICTURE
Houston: The Cougars were coming off seven straight games at home, where they are carrying a nation-best 28-game winning streak. This visit marked just their third road game of the season, with previous wins coming against BYU and Oklahoma State.
Temple: Seeking an NCAA Tournament berth, the Owls are off to their best start since the 2010-11 season. They look like AAC title contenders early on, narrowly losing to preseason favorite UCF on the road and handing Wichita State a rare home loss to begin the conference slate.
UP NEXT
Houston hosts Wichita State on Saturday.
Temple hosts USF on Saturday.
