The American went 5-2 in Tuesday’s action, including a thrilling comeback that came down to a team’s final offensive possession.
F Chris Perry’s layup with 7.8 seconds remaining lifted USF to a 71-70 win over Hofstra at the Sun Dome, as the Bulls improved to 4-1. USF erased a 15-point deficit in the final 8:24 of the contest and made its last seven field goal attempts to close the game. G Corey Allen Jr. led the Bulls with 18 points, while G Anthony Collins had eight points and 12 assists.
Cincinnati stayed undefeated on the season with a 59-50 win over North Carolina Central. F Gary Clark had a team-high 12 points to go along with eight rebounds and four blocks. F Octavius Ellis added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Bearcats, who moved to 4-0.
G Jonathan Stark had 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals as Tulane is now 3-1 after a 74-59 win over Southern. F Tre Drye added 14 points for the Green Wave. Tulane is now 8-0 all-time against Southern.
East Carolina improved to 3-2 with a 58-52 win over Fresno State in the Pirates’ second game of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida. G B.J. Tyson led ECU with 22 points while F Michael Zangari tallied a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Pirates will play their third and final game of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Wednesday afternoon against Hawaii, which will enter the game at 5-2 following a win over Marist on Tuesday.
Temple received a career-high 24 points from F Mark Williams in a 76-67 win over Penn at the Liacouras Center. G Will Cummings chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Owls, who improved to 3-2.
SMU was defeated 78-72 by No. 25 Arkansas at Moody Coliseum as the Mustangs fell to 2-3. C Yanick Moreira tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds for SMU. The Mustangs scored 50 points and shot 57.7-percent in the second half. SMU will have a quick turnaround, hosting Texas Southern on Wednesday night. The Tigers were the 2014 SWAC champions.
Houston fell for the first time this season, dropping an 84-63 decision at Harvard. G Eric Weary Jr. led the Cougars with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. F Danrad Knowles and G Cavon Baker each had 11 points for Houston.
In addition to East Carolina and SMU, two other teams are in action Wednesday. UCF will host Davidson as the Knights look to improve to 4-0. Wednesday is the fifth all-time meeting between UCF and Davidson, but it will be the first since 1995. Freshman G B.J. Taylor is third in The American in scoring at 15.7 ppg in the early going.
Tulsa will square off with in-state foe Oklahoma State for the 109th time, but will do so in Las Vegas as the teams battle for the championship of the MGM Grand Main Event. The teams first met in the 1907-08 season, and Wednesday’s meeting will be the first since 2011. F D’Andre Wright (12.5 ppg) and G James Woodard (12.3) have led a two-pronged scoring attack in the early going for the 3-1 Golden Hurricane.