Lewis leads Houston into NCAAs for 1st time in 18 years as Cougars upend No. 25 UTEP 81-73

Houston ends No. 25 UTEP’s run to reach NCAAs

TULSA, Okla. — Kelvin Lewis scored 28 points and Houston surged past No. 25 UTEP down the stretch to claim its first NCAA tournament berth in 18 years with an 81-73 victory in the Conference USA tournament title game that snapped the Miners’ 16-game winning streak.

National scoring leader Aubrey Coleman struggled through a 4-for-20 shooting performance for the seventh-seeded Cougars (19-15), but came up with a critical steal and fast-break layup in the final minute as they won their fourth game in as many days.

Houston trailed by nine with 8 minutes to play, but came roaring back against the top-seeded Miners (26-6), who were riding their longest winning streak since their “Glory Road” run to the national title in 1966.

Randy Culpepper scored 20 points and Derrick Caracter added 18 for UTEP.