In American Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Tuesday (Jan. 7), ECU and Houston both picked up league wins.

ECU 62, USF 59 - Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Jayden Gardner had 23 points, 10 rebounds and a key blocked shot as East Carolina defeated USF, 62-59, on Tuesday night.

ECU led 60-57 after a 3-pointer by Bitumba Baruti with 1:26 to go in the second half.

David Collins made an uncontested layup for South Florida, making the score 60-59 with 1:01 remaining but the Bulls did not score again.

Tristen Newton made both ends of a one-and-one with 15 seconds to go and Gardner blocked a potential tying 3-pointer with 6 seconds left.

Brandon Suggs had 12 points for East Carolina (7-8, 1-1 American Athletic Conference), which has won five in a row at home.

Laquincy Rideau had 16 points for the Bulls (8-8, 1-2). Collins added 14 points off the bench and Xavier Castaneda had 10 points.

South Florida shot 35%, including 4 of 21 from 3-point distance. The Bulls also missed 11 free throws (15-26), as did East Carolina (9-20).

Houston 78, Temple 74 - Box Score

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Caleb Mills tied his season high with 23 points as Houston narrowly beat Temple, 78-74, on Tuesday night.

Mills scored seven straight Houston points during a 9-2 run for a 65-60 lead with 5:08 left. He finished 9 of 16 from the field with three 3-pointers.

Chris Harris Jr. had 11 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and three assists for Houston (12-3, 2-0 American Athletic Conference), which won its sixth consecutive game. DeJon Jarreau added 11 points and five assists, and Nate Hinton had 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for his seventh double-double of the season.

Houston grabbed 32 first-half rebounds, and finished with 54 compared to Temple's 32.

Quinton Rose scored a season-high 21 points for the Owls (9-5, 1-2). Nate Pierre-Louis added 13 points and seven rebounds, and J.P. Moorman II had 10 points.