Memphis, SMU and UCF were winners in Thursday’s American Athletic Conference action.
Memphis held off UConn for a 75-72 win at FedEx Forum as the Tigers improved to 16-10 and 8-5 in The American. G Kedren Johnson led the Tigers with a season-high 21 points along with six assists, while F Austin Nichols tallied 16 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. F Daniel Hamilton scored a career-high 25 to lead all players, while grabbing 13 rebounds for the Huskies, who dropped to 14-11 and 7-6 in The American.
No. 21/21 SMU erased a 10-point deficit in the second half to down Temple 67-58 at Moody Coliseum. G Nic Moore led all scorers with 18 points, while six other Mustangs scored between seven and 10 points. SMU improved to 22-5 and 13-2 in conference play. G Will Cummings had 14 points, seven assists and seven steals for the Owls, who dropped to 19-8 and 10-4 in The American.
F Kasey Wilson tallied 21 points and nine rebounds, while G Brandon Goodwin tied the American Athletic Conference record with 13 assists as UCF defeated Tulane 69-55 in New Orleans. The Knights shot 53.3-percent from the floor on their way to their third consecutive victory. F Tre Drye had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Green Wave.
The next conference games will take place Saturday. East Carolina hosts USF (11 a.m., ESPNU,) while Cincinnati travels to Houston (9:30 p.m., ESPNU.)