Arizona Edges Houston in Thrilling Big Twelve Final

0:00On March 15th, number two, Arizona edged out the number five Houston Cougars, 79-74 in the big 12 championship game Saturday. Night in Kansas City. It was a rematch of last year's title game that Houston had won, but this time they couldn't defend it, dropping to 0-2 against Arizona this season. Houston trailed by 15 early in the second half, but mounted a huge 14-0 run to pull within one late. Standout play came from their junior forward Joseph Tuggler, who dropped a career high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double. The bench chipped in 23 points to keep things close. Fans saw back and forth battle, with Houston grabbing small leads early before Arizona pulled away at halftime. The Cougars in their strong big 12 run at 28 and 6 overall, while Arizona stays nearly perfect at 32 and 2, keeping their national title hopes alive. Arizona's freshmen shone bright, with guards scoring in double figures to compliment their big men inside.

1:04Houston's starting guard struggled, combining for just 26 points and foul trouble sideline key players down the stretch. Free throws proved decisive, as Arizona sank 23 of 27, while Houston made only 10 of 14. In the end, though slim margins separated two elite teams and a game that came down to the wire.