Houston led Illinois 30-23 in the final seconds of the first half on Saturday, but Illini guard Trent Frazier was able to squeeze in one more bucket before the final buzzer.
Frazier drained a three as the first-half buzzer sounds, cutting Houston’s lead to six at halftime.
“And we’ve got ourselves a ball game!” play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan said after Frazier’s buzzer beater.
The three-point buzzer beater was only Illinois’s second three-pointer of the first half. Frazier finished the first 20 minutes with six points.
The senior only had two points vs. Chattanooga on Friday, which came from free throw attempts.
The Fighting Illini struggled in the first half on Sunday. At one point, they were down by 12 points to the Cougars.
However, Illinois finished the first half on a 10-4 run. Frazier’s buzzer beater might give the orange and blue a boost they need to advance to the Sweet 16.
