Houston’s quest for its first title ends with a loss to Florida.

Houston came close to its first national championship but fell short in a 65-63 loss to Florida. After leading for nearly the entire game, the Cougars trailed by one with 46.5 seconds remaining and had possession. Emanuel Sharp drove the lane but lost the ball out of bounds under pressure from the Gators. Florida almost turned it over on a long pass but managed to retain possession, with Denzel Aberdeen hitting one of two free throws to extend the lead to two.

With 19 seconds left, Houston had one last opportunity to either tie the game or win with a three-pointer. Sharp took a contested three-pointer with five seconds remaining, but he hesitated as Walter Clayton Jr. contested the shot. Instead of taking the shot, Sharp left the ball mid-air and avoided traveling, allowing Alex Condon to dive for and secure the ball to seal Florida’s victory.

“It hurts because I can’t do it next year,” said J’Wan Roberts, who had played six years with the team. “I wanted it so bad for Coach Sampson.” Houston’s defense had held Florida to their second-lowest point total of the season, limiting the Gators to just six threes and keeping Clayton Jr. scoreless in the first half. Despite the defeat, Coach Sampson praised his team’s effort. “We guarded them. We held that team to 65 points,” he said.

The loss marked Houston’s third defeat in national championship games, with the Cougars having led by as many as 12 points early in the second half.