With about nine seconds left, freshman forward Jade Jones received the ball at the three-point line, drove to her left, and knocked down a layup at the buzzer to secure a 65-63 win for Houston women’s basketball over UTRGV on Thursday.
“I don’t know. I just threw it up there,” Jones said on the broadcast.
In her first college start, Jones played 33 minutes, scoring 18 points (9-12 FG) and grabbing eight boards.
Her game-winning layup prevented overtime and held off the Vaqueros, who fought back hard in the fourth quarter and were in control for the majority of it, even outscoring Houston 16-9 in the quarter.
The win over the Rio Grande Valley marks Houston’s first road win since Feb. 17, 2024, when they beat Oklahoma State 65-57.
The Cougars would have their best shooting display of the season so far in the first half of the game, shooting 50% from the field and 38% from 3-point range to take a 44-30 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Houston suffered a shooting slump, going 3-13 from the field and 1-7 from 3-point range. The Vaqueros outscored the Cougars 17-12 in the quarter, but Houston still led 56-47.
UTRGV went nova to begin the fourth, going on a 9-0 run to tie the game up 56 a piece. The Cougars would then go on a 7-2 run to take 63-58, but the Vaqueros would score five straight to tie the game once again with 1:04 left.
Despite shooting 23.1% from the field, Houston still had a chance to win the game, and Jones capitalized on that chance with a game-winner.
Her teammates, graduate guard Briana Peguero and redshirt senior Kyndall Hunter, helped out in the scoring department as well with 12 points each.
Junior guard Jalayah Ingram was the standout player for Rio Grande Valley, with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Houston will look to build from that game back at the Fertitta Center on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m., when they take on the 5-0 High Point Panthers.
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