Cincinnati improved to 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play, while UCF and UConn notched their first victories in league play Tuesday night.
UCF picked up a 79-78 win in overtime at Houston after a pair of pivotal 3-pointers by G Brandon Goodwin. The Knights completed the comeback from an 11-point second-half deficit with Goodwin’s three on the final offensive possession of regulation and won the game on another shot from outside on the final offensive possession of overtime. Goodwin had a game and career-high 30 points for UCF in the win. The Knights improved to 8-6 and 1-2 in The American, while the Cougars fell to 7-7 and 0-3 in conference play. G Jherrod Stiggers led Houston with 20 points.
UConn C Amida Brimah had 13 points, eight rebounds and six blocks to lead the Huskies to a 58-44 win over USF at the Sun Dome. UConn improved to 8-5 and 1-1 in league action with the victory. G Corey Allen Jr. had 12 points to lead USF, which fell to 7-9 and 1-2 in The American.
Cincinnati tallied a 69-48 win over East Carolina to improve to 11-3 and 2-0 in The American. F Octavius Ellis and G Kevin Johnson each had 12 points for the Bearcats, while F Gary Clark had eight points, 16 rebounds, four blocks, four steals and three assists. G B.J. Tyson had a game-high 13 points off the bench for the Pirates, who dropped to 7-9 and 0-3 in The American.
There is one game Wednesday in The American as Temple will travel to Tulane in a battle of teams standing at 2-0 in league action. The 11-4 Owls have won five in a row including conference victories over UConn and UCF in their last two outings. Tulane is 11-3 and returns to Devlin Fieldhouse for the first time since Dec. 19. Green Wave G Jonathan Stark leads The American with 23.0 points per game in conference play.