TaShawn Thomas scored 23 points, including two free throws with 9 seconds left, and blocked a late layup by Shabazz Napier as Houston rallied for a 75-71 victory over No. 17 Connecticut on Tuesday night in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Thomas was 8 of 15 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line and grabbed eight rebounds for Houston (9-5, 1-0), which defeated a ranked team for the first time since beating Central Florida on Jan. 8, 2011.
Thomas drove to the basket and put up a jumper with 9 seconds left but was fouled by Tyler Olander. Thomas made both free throws to put Houston up by two points.