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'It was right there within our grasp with the effort we showed in the second half,' Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said.

The Beavers dug a 34-17 hole at halftime, then climbed all the way back only to see Grimes put the Cougars back in front. Maurice Calloo scored 13 points to lead Oregon State (20-13), which was vying to become the worst-seeded team ever to make a Final Four - and to extend a remarkable postseason run for a team that was picked to finish last in the Pac-12. Jarreau finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists two days after flirting with another triple-double and shutting down SyracuseвЂ™s Buddy Boeheim in the Sweet 16. Fittingly, it was DeJon Jarreau - the American Athletic ConferenceвЂ™s defensive player of the year who led the effort that stymied Oregon State star Ethan Thompson - who was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region.

Marcus Sasser scored 20 points to lead Houston while Grimes added 18. IвЂ™m glad they let me go along on the ride with them. вЂњAnd I have this group of players and this staff вЂ¦ to thank for it. 'This is one of the greatest accomplishments IвЂ™ve been around,вЂќ Sampson said. Yet the performance exemplified the program's rugged defense-first identity, which had carried the Cougars as far as the Sweet 16 once before in SampsonвЂ™s first six seasons. Houston shot 29% after halftime and 32% for the game. That sent the Cougars on to the national semifinals to face Baylor.

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And Houston knocked down enough free throws late while holding Oregon State without a basket during a critical 3 1/2 minutes. Quentin Grimes hit a 3-pointer with 3:21 left to break a 55-all tie, a shot from near the top of the arc that finally steadied the Cougars. And his team proved him right, blowing a 17-point lead before preventing the 12th-seeded Beavers from adding one more surprising result to a Midwest Region bracket beset by upsets. It was never supposed to be easy to get the second-seeded Cougars (28-3) back into the Final Four for the first time in 37 years, Sampson said. 'I always thought we could,' Sampson said, 'but we had to climb the ladder.' Yes, Houston is going back to the Final Four for the first time since the famed 'Phi Slama Jama' era after Monday nightвЂ™s 67-61 win against Oregon State. Years of building a once-proud program back to prominence, of putting together a formula that was about way more than flashy offense - it all led to this breakthrough moment for Sampson and the Cougars. He turned toward the red-clad Houston fans and started pumping his right fist, the net clutched in that hand the entire time. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Kelvin Sampson stood atop a ladder and yanked loose the remnants of the net from the rim.

Houston forward Justin Gorham, left, head coach Kelvin Sampson and Marcus Sasser (0) celebrate after beating Oregon State during an Elite 8 game in the NCAA menвЂ™s college basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Indianapolis.

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