Memphis, SMU and Temple were winners in conference games Wednesday night in The American, while Houston recorded a nonconference victory.
 
F Markus Kennedy had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead SMU to a 63-52 win over USF in Tampa. C Yanick Moreira added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Mustangs, who moved to 17-4 and 8-1 in The American with their seventh consecutive win. G Corey Allen Jr. and G Nehemias Morillo each had 18 points for the Bulls, who fell to 7-14 and 1-7 in The American.
 
Memphis withstood a 3-point barrage to pick up a 70-58 win over East Carolina at FedEx Forum. The Pirates went 13-of-27 from beyond the arc, highlighted by 17 points and five 3-pointers from G Terry Whisnant. F Austin Nichols had a game-high 21 points for the Tigers, who improved to 13-7 and 6-3 in The American. East Carolina fell to 8-12 and 1-6 in league action.
 
Temple had four players in double figures and shot 10-of-18 from outside in an 86-62 win over UCF in Orlando. G Jesse Morgan led the way for the Owls with 15 points, G Will Cummings and G Devin Coleman each had 14 and G Quenton DeCosey chipped in 13. Temple improved to 14-7 and 5-3 in The American with the victory. G Brandon Goodwin had a game-high 17 points to lead the Knights, who dropped to 9-11 and 2-7 in conference play.
 
F Mikhail McLean scored a career-high 14 points to lead Houston to a 59-48 victory over Rice in a nonconference clash at Hofheinz Pavilion. G LeRon Barnes chipped in 13 and F Danrad Knowles added 10 as the Cougars improved to 8-12 overall on the year.
 
There is one game in The American Thursday as Cincinnati hosts UConn (8 p.m., ESPN2) in a battle of two-loss teams in conference play. The Huskies are looking for a season sweep of the Bearcats after a 62-56 win in Hartford Jan. 10. Cincinnati has won seven of its last nine overall, while UConn has taken five of its last seven.