Three American Athletic Conference men's basketball clubs picked up wins on Wednesday night (Dec. 18).

UCF 70, Bethune-Cookman 65 - Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Ceasar DeJesus registered 17 points as UCF narrowly defeated Bethune-Cookman 70-65 on Wednesday night.

Brandon Mahan had 11 points for Central Florida (9-2), which earned its sixth consecutive win. Collin Smith added 10 points.

The Knights were in trouble after the first half, heading to the locker room at halftime trailing 34-21. But the home team mounted a second-half rally to get back in it and ultimately earn the narrow 5-point victory. The Knights' 21 points in the first half marked a season low for the team.

Malik Maitland scored a season-high 23 points for the Wildcats (5-7), whose losing streak stretched to five games. Isaiah Bailey added 16 points.

Cincinnati 78, No. 21 Tennessee 66 - Box Score

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Trevon Scott scored 15 points and Cincinnati recovered from back-to-back losses by knocking off No. 21 Tennessee 78-66 on Wednesday night.

The Bearcats (7-4) got the better of a back-and-forth game by getting inside one of the country's stingiest defenses for close-up baskets. Forty-six of Cincinnati's points came in the paint.

Keith Williams had a steal and layup during a 9-0 run that put the Bearcats in control 67-57 with 3:27 left. Williams finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

For a second straight game, Tennessee's Rick Barnes came up short again in his attempt to get career victory No. 700. He'd be only the 22nd coach to reach that mark in Division I.

The Volunteers (7-3) were coming off a 51-47 loss to No. 13 Memphis that highlighted their offensive shortcomings. This time, the biggest problems were on a defense that hadn't given up 70 points in a game this season.

Tennessee has lost back-to-back games for the first time in two seasons. John Fulkerson had a team-high 14 points. The Volunteers were only 3 of 15 from beyond the arc.

The Bearcats led 38-34 after a wide-open first half full of turnovers. They shot 64% from the field, with Jaevin Cumberland making four of his five shots to lead the way.

The Volunteers dug in defensively in the second half - Cincinnati missed eight of its first 12 shots - and neither team managed to get much of an advantage. There were two ties and four lead changes before Cincinnati went on its pivotal run.

UConn 66, St. Peter's 56 - Box Score

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Tyler Polley paced a balanced UConn offense with 12 points in a 66-56 victory over Saint Peter’s on Wednesday.

Nine of the 10 Huskies who played finished with at least a basket. 

Freshman Jalen Gaffney added 10 points and five assists, while Akok Akok had seven points, eight rebounds and five blocks.

Polley was 4 of 6 on 3-pointers and UConn (7-3) shot 41.2 percent (7-for-17) from the perimeter.

Aaron Estrada had 12 points and Daryl Banks III scored 10 to lead the Peacocks (2-5), who shot 62.5 percent (5-for-8) on 3s. 

The two teams combined for 51 turnovers, with UConn scoring 22 points on 25 mistakes by Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks scored 19 points on UConn’s season-high 26.

Christian Vital and James Bouknight each scored seven points and UConn shot 61.7 percent (13-for-21) to lead 40-22 at the half. It was the Huskies’ largest halftime lead of the season, with the previous being nine (36-27) against Miami.

Tied at 10, UConn outscored Saint Peter’s 22-4 in just over eight minutes to take a commanding 32-14 lead with 3:55 to play in the first half. 

The UConn bench, which scored just five points in a loss to Indiana last week, had 16 at the half, led by Bouknight, and contributed 26 overall. 

Utah State 76, USF 74 (OT) - Box Score

HOUSTON (AP) -- Sam Merrill had 21 points and Justin Bean made the game-winning bucket at the end of overtime as Utah State defeated USF 76-74 in overtime at the Battleground 2K19 on Wednesday night.

Utah State had possession after a timeout with 34 seconds left in overtime and the score tied at 74. The Aggies worked the clock to about 5 seconds and Abel Porter missed a 3-pointer. Bean grabbed the offensive rebound, stepped to the right side of the basket and beat the buzzer with a short bank shot.

A 3-pointer from David Collins gave USF a 64-62 lead with 1:42 remaining in the second half and he later added two free throws for a four-point lead. Utah State's Neemias Queta and Bean both scored in the paint to send the game to overtime.

Queta had 18 points and Bean added 12 points for Utah State (11-2). Alphonso Anderson also had 12 points for the Aggies.

Laquincy Rideau had 15 points for the Bulls (6-5). Collins added 15 points and Xavier Castaneda scored 12.