UCF and Memphis picked up victories in American Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Saturday (Dec. 7).

UCF 78, NJIT 65 - Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Ceasar DeJesus had 17 points to lead five UCF players in double figures as the Knights topped NJIT 78-65 on Saturday.

Dazon Ingram added 13 points for the Knights (6-2), who have won three straight. Dre Fuller Jr., Collin Smith and Darin Green Jr. scored 11 apiece.

DeJesus made 8 of 10 shots.

Zach Cooks had 26 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the Highlanders (2-7), whose losing streak stretched to five games.

Arkansas State 66, Tulsa 63 - Box Score

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Jerry Johnson Jr. scored 16 points and Marquis Eaton scored 15 and Arkansas State beat Tulsa 66-63 on Saturday.

The Red Wolves (7-2) handed Tulsa (7-2) its first home loss of the season. Arkansas State led the entire second half.

Martins Igbanu made a pair of free throws with 3:16 left and reduced the Golden Hurricane deficit to 58-57. Johnson buried a 3-pointer with 1:56 remaining before Darien Jackson's layup 22 seconds later made it 61-59. Canberk Kus extended the lead to four with two foul shots with 16 seconds to go, and following Igbanu's layup with eight seconds left, Johnson made a pair of free throws to seal it.

Brandon Rachal led Tulsa with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Each team shot 51.1% with the difference coming at the foul line. The Red Wolves were 14 of 17 against Tulsa's 8 of 11.

(rv) Xavier 73, Cincinnati 66 - Box Score

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Naji Marshall opened Xavier's scoring with a no-hesitation 3. He hit a floater and a fade-away jumper, all in the opening minutes.

From every spot on the floor, he dominated the city's annual crosstown rivalry.

The junior forward tied his career high with 31 points, and Xavier regained the city's bragging rights on its home court Saturday, beating Cincinnati 73-66 for its ninth win in the last 13 games of the crosstown rivalry.

''He was ready for it, man,'' Xavier coach Travis Steele said. ''He just kind of had that flow tonight. Overall he was the best player on the floor. I don't think it was even close.''

The annual rivalry game is a chance for players to write their legacy. Marshall's 31 points, eight rebounds and career-high five steals will go down among the most notable performances.

''It was just an unbelievable feeling,'' said Marshall, who made 12 of his 22 shots.

Marshall had the biggest plays on both ends of the floor during a run that pushed Xavier's lead to 16 in the second half. The Musketeers (9-1) were never seriously threatened the rest of the way, leading by no fewer than seven points.

''Marshall really took over the game,'' first-year Cincinnati coach John Brannen said. ''He did that the majority of the game, not just the first half. It really was an unbelievable game.''

Cincinnati (6-3) beat the Musketeers 62-47 at home last season under Mick Cronin. The Bearcats haven't gotten back-to-back wins in the series since 1994-95.

Tyrique Jones added 10 points and nine rebounds in only 23 minutes for Xavier after being limited by fouls in the first half. Keith Williams scored 15 for Cincinnati.

Marshall made the difference on both ends of the floor. He also guarded Cincinnati's Jarron Cumberland, the American Athletic's player of the year who had a sore hip and wasn't much of a factor. Cumberland went 4 of 14 and finished with 11 points and four turnovers.

''I can't speak for another man's pain, but I know he was hurting and he gutted it out,'' Brannen said. ''If he wants to be out there, we're going to ride him.''

Marshall had 17 points in the first half, when Xavier led by as many as eight points. Cumberland managed only four points with three turnovers in 15 minutes.

Marshall led a 15-4 run in the second half that put Xavier ahead 51-35. Marshall had a steal and dunk, a 3-pointer, another steal and a reverse layup during the spurt.

''Give him the ball and let him go to work,'' said point guard Quentin Goodin, who had eight assists. ''We were playing off Naj. He did a great job creating for others and himself, and he was also playing great defense.''

 No. 15/18 Memphis 65, UAB 57 - Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Trailing by 20 during a dreadful start, coach Penny Hardaway and No. 15 Memphis kept their cool even as they staggered toward halftime.

In the locker room during the break, Hardaway turned up the intensity - and that finally got the Tigers on track.

''It wasn't a pleasant conversation at halftime,'' he said, ''but they responded.''

Precious Achiuwa scored eight of his 14 points in the final 4 minutes, and Memphis rallied from a big deficit to beat upset-minded UAB 65-57 Saturday.

Memphis (8-1) trailed 40-26 at halftime. The Tigers needed a 19-4 run over the final 8 minutes to overcome the Blazers (4-4), who didn't relinquish the lead until freshman Achiuwa's tip shot with 2:56 left put Memphis up 56-55.

UAB's own sensational freshman, Jalen Benjamin, scored 17 points, but the Blazers lost their third straight.

Memphis cranked up the pressure in the second half, and UAB finally cracked in the final minutes. The Tigers forced 23 turnovers overall, most with full-court pressure, showing a resiliency that didn't surprise Hardaway.

''It's about who we are as a city and who we are as a team. We don't give up,'' he said.

UAB began unraveling after Achiuwa hit two free throws to reduce the deficit to 44-29. D.J. Jeffries, another member of Memphis' heralded freshman class, followed up with two drunks and finished a one-man, nine-point run with a 3-pointer. That cut the lead to 44-38.

It took another 10 minutes, part of a 27-8 closing run, before Achiuwa's go-ahead tip-in.

''I think the tide turned on D.J.'s stretch,'' Hardaway said. ''When he got hot - that dunk he caught off the rim, then he hit a couple of jumpers, and we took charges - that's who we are.''

Missouri 64, Temple 54 - Box Score

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- For Dru Smith and Missouri, it’s been hard not to dwell on a stunning home loss to Charleston Southern earlier this week.

Only thing to do was take it out on the next team on the schedule.

Javon Pickett scored a season-high 16 points off the bench and Missouri snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Temple 64-54 on Saturday night.

Smith added 12 points and six rebounds for the visiting Tigers (5-4), whose loss to Charleston Southern on Tuesday was one of the worst of coach Cuonzo Martin’s tenure.

“Obviously it’s been on our minds,” Smith said. “It’s something we had to learn from. We had to move on. There’s a lot of season left in front of us. I think we did a good job today using that as fuel and coming out and playing much better.”

Quinton Rose led the way for Temple (6-2) with 16 points, 10 of which came in the first half. The Owls committed a season-high 19 turnovers, including an overthrown pass in transition with a minute to go to dash any comeback hopes. They also shot 2 for 21 from 3-point range.

“They didn’t really pressure us; we were just careless with the ball,” Rose said. “Maybe it is a lack of focus. We’ll figure it out.”

Trailing by six early in the second half, the Owls reeled off the next 12 points to take their first lead since they were up 4-2. The run began with a Monty Scott 3-pointer and included a Jake Forrester dunk that electrified a previously frustrated Liacouras Center crowd.

Forrester, an Indiana transfer who had to sit out the first four games until getting cleared to play by the NCAA, finished with 11 points in his first home game for the Owls.

Pickett helped Missouri fight back to tie the game at 47-47 with eight minutes remaining, and the Tigers took the lead 53-52 on a Jeremiah Tillman transition dunk with four minutes to go. Mark Smith’s 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead 57-52 with 2:53 left, and Xavier Pinson helped close out the win with a driving layup in the final minute.

The Tigers outscored the Owls 15-2 over the final six-and-a-half minutes.

“I think we’re as good as any team in the SEC,” Martin said. “But you have to do it on the floor every night. It’s one thing for me to believe it. They have to understand and believe it. And this was a great win for us against a very talented team.”

Temple had more turnovers (11) than made field goals (eight) in the first half to fall behind 33-27 at halftime. No one on the Owls besides Rose scored until Forrester hit a free throw more than eight minutes into the contest.

Georgetown 91, (-/rv) SMU 74 - Box Score

DALLAS (AP) -- Jahvon Blair matched his career high with 21 points as Georgetown defeated SMU 91-74 on Saturday night.

Mac McClung had 19 points and seven assists for Georgetown (6-3). Omer Yurtseven added 19 points and Jamorko Pickett had 11 for the visitors.

Kendric Davis had 17 points for the Mustangs (8-1), whose eight-game season-opening winning streak ended. Feron Hunt added 17 points. Tyson Jolly had 16 points and six rebounds.