Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson gives instructions to his team during Monday’s NCAA championship game in San Antonio. (Field Level Media)

SAN ANTONIO — One of the best seasons in University of Houston history ended with another heartbreaker.

In search of the school’s first men’s basketball national championship, the Cougars couldn’t hold on as the Florida Gators rallied for a 65-63 win on Monday night at the Alamodome.

After a school record 34 wins, which included an epic comeback to stun No. 1 Duke 70-67 in Friday’s national semifinals, the Cougars came up short in their first championship game appearance since Phi Slama Jama in 1984.

Forty-one years later, UH re-lived the same pain as Florida celebrated its first national title since winning back-to-back in 2006-07.

Florida (36-4) stormed back from a 12-point lead in the second half as All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. finally started hitting shots. Clayton, who had consecutive 30-point games against Texas Tech and Auburn, was held without a field goal until less than eight minutes left in the game.

UH went cold in the second half, going more than four minutes without a field goal and at one point missed 13 of 14 shots.

The Cougars spent the latter part of the game in foul trouble as Joseph Tugler, the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year, fouled out with 46.5 seconds. Alijah Martin made both free throws to put the Gators ahead 64-63, their first lead since early in the game.

With a chance to retake the lead, Emanuel Sharp had the ball bounce off his leg and out of bounds with 26.5 seconds left.

After a Florida free throw it was 65-63 with 19 seconds left. With a chance to win the game, UH could not get off a shot in the final seconds as Florida claimed the third title in school history.

For UH it was another chapter in a string of bad luck and bad timing.

The Cougars lost to UCLA’s dynasty both times in Final Four trips in the late 1960s with Elvin Hayes and never played for a national title.

In the early 1980s, Phi Slama Jama — which featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler — made three straight trips to the Final Four.

UH lost to Michael Jordan and North Carolina in 1982, on Lorenzo Charles’ putback in the final second in a 54-52 upset to North Carolina State in 1983 and to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown in 1984.

More recently, UH endured a buzzer-beater in a second-round loss to Michigan in 2018, an Elite Eight loss to Villanova in 2022 and were upset as a No. 1 regional seed by Miami (2023) and Duke (2024).

“We deserve a break,” redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp said prior to Monday’s game. “It’s just been tough year after year.”

UH coach Kelvin Sampson was attempting to win his first national title and 800th career game in a Hall of Fame worthy 36-year coaching career.

This was considered UH’s best shot in Sampson’s 11 seasons as coach. UH had the nation’s No. 1 defense the entire season and featured a potent lineup with 3-point shooters L.J. Cryer, Milos Uzan and Sharp.

Monday’s game was the last for sixth-year graduate forward J’Wan Roberts, who finished his career as the winningest player in school history with 149 wins.

L.J. Cryer finished with 19 points, coming up short in his bid to become the first player in NCAA history to win titles at two different schools. He was a freshman reserve on Baylor’s 2021 championship team.

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