Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Kelvin Sampson's Daughter Comforts Dad After Painful Houston Loss to Florida

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 12:21 AM ET

The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars could taste it. With a 12-point lead in the second half of Monday night's NCAA Tournament title game against fellow No. 1 seed Florida Gators, the Cougars seemed they were on their way to finally winning their program's first-ever national championship.

But a fiery comeback by the Gators left Kelvin Sampson and Houston reeling following a 65-63 loss.

The pain of such a loss on the grandest stage of college basketball will take some time to go away for the Cougars.

However, Sampson's daughter, Lauren Sampson, tried to ease the sting his dad was feeling by being there with him on the way to the Cougars' locker room, as captured in a video shared by Chancellor Johnson of Sports Journalism Institute.

After the Houston Cougars fall short in the national championship, Lauren Sampson right there as always to show support for her father, Kelvin. pic.twitter.com/kDEpkKNOgc
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) April 8, 2025

Houston's relentless brand of basketball gave the Gators problems but Florida refused to fold.

Trailing by two points after Florida's Denzel Aberdeen made a free throw with 19 seconds left in regulation, the Cougars still had a shot at either tying the game or getting the lead with a 3-pointer. Unfortunately for Houston, it never got a shot off, as the Cougars' final possession of the contest ended in a turnover.

L.J. Cryer led Houston versus Florida with 19 points but no other Cougar scored more than nine points. As a team, Sampson's team shot just 34.8 percent from the field, failing to fully capitalize on its huge advantage in shots taken from the floor, 16-9.

Houston concludes its 2024-25 college basketball season with a 35-5 overall record.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: