HOUSTON --Houston Baptist made its two free throws in the final seconds, then watched as Santa Clara missed its two opportunities in a 72-71 victory for the Huskies on Wednesday night.Tyler Russell hit a pair of shots from the foul line with 6.2 seconds left to put Houston Baptist (5-7) on top. Santa Clara's Evan Roquemore was then fouled in the lane with 1.9 seconds remaining and went to the line with a chance to win it. Roquemore was 8 for 8 from the line up to that point, including two with 35.6 seconds left that put Santa Clara ahead 71-70, but missed both final free throws.Russell had 19 points to lead Houston Baptist, which rallied from a 41-29 halftime deficit. Art Bernardi scored 16, Jonathan Evans 11 and Joe Latas 10.Kevin Foster led Santa Clara (7-4) with 19 points. Roquemore and Raymond Cowells III added 15 points each, and John McArthur had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Santa Clara was looking for their third consecutive win, hoping to advance their record to 8-3 and keep pace with Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, BYU and USF in the WCC.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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