UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas -- Statement. Overtime. Victory.

And all done with "Dallas" across their chests.

A fast start aided SMU, and the Mustangs managed to weather the storm of a second-half effort from a never-say-die Houston team Saturday night at Moody Coliseum.

The final result, in front of a rowdy crowd, was a huge, 73-72 overtime victory for the Mustangs -- a Quad 1 victory against the No. 20 Cougars.

Wearing their "Dallas" alternative uniforms, SMU (18-6, 8-4 in AAC) handed Houston only its third loss in American Athletic Conference play. The Cougars (20-6, 10-3) entered Saturday a game ahead of Tulsa and Cincinnati in the conference standings.

And the 5,534 fans in attendance will remember how the Mustangs took the lead for good. Trailing, 72-70, Emmanuel Bandoumel hit a clutch, step-back 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, sending the Moody crowd to a frenzy.

"It was the biggest shot of my life," Bandoumel said. "It was crazy."

Houston's Caleb Mills missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Mustangs left the floor with a monster victory.

SMU scored a win with the help of an outstanding first-half performance. The Mustangs jumped out to a 12-2 lead early, as they connected on all of their five four attempts.

SMU made eight of its first nine shots. By the 10:49 mark, Houston had already used two timeouts. The Mustangs led by as many as 15 points in the half and took a 39-28 halftime lead into the locker room.

Houston opened the second half with 3-pointers by Justin Gorham and Marcus Sasser -- the nephew of SMU greats Jason and Jeryl Sasser -- to cut SMU's lead to four with less than 17 minutes to play. Houston later managed to cut the lead to two with 10:45 left. Credit the Cougars' offensive rebounding for their rally.

Houston trailed by five with under a minute left to play but managed to force overtime with the help of three made free throws by Sasser, who finished with a game-high 26 points. Kendric Davis tried to win the game for SMU, but a last-second runner fell short to force overtime.

Houston's Quentin Grimes took a 69-68 lead with 3:10 left to play, giving the Cougars their first lead of the game since 2-0. Sasser later in the overtime period drained a trey to give Houston a 72-70 edge.

Bandoumel only had seven points on the night, but his 3-pointer late proved to be the biggest bucket of the night. He made 3 of 5 from the field, and that 3-pointer was his only made attempt from deep of the game.

"You talk about one of the biggest shots we've had in eight years," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said of Bandoumel's shot. "What courage. What tremendous courage."

"Bandoumel throws up a Hail Mary. Credit to him," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Sometimes, you've got to make a shot like that."

Tyson Jolly led SMU with 20 points and made 10 of 10 from the free throw line. Isiaha Mike and Feron Hunt each had 15 points, and Davis finished with 10 points and eight assists.

Along with Sasser's 26 points, DeJon Jarreau added 15 points for Houston. Jarreau and Grimes, two starters for Houston, both fouled out of the contest.