UCF and No. 6/7 Houston picked up wins in their league openers in American Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Tuesday (Dec. 22). Elsewhere, East Carolina improved to 7-1 with a win over Tulane and Wichita State won on the road in overtime at USF.
East Carolina 68, Tulane 58 -
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GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Jayden Gardner had 21 points and 10 rebounds as East Carolina beat Tulane 68-58 on Tuesday.
Brandon Suggs had 14 points for East Carolina (7-1, 1-1 American Athletic Conference). J.J. Miles added 13 points and Bitumba Baruti had eight rebounds.
Jaylen Forbes had 16 points for the Green Wave (5-2, 0-2). Gabe Watson added 14 points.
UCF 75, Cincinnati 70 -
Box Score
ORLANDO—Senior Brandon Mahan knocked down three key three-pointers to fuel a UCF run early in the second half, as the Knights broke impressively from a halftime tie and held on late for a 75-70 victory Saturday afternoon over visiting Cincinnati.
The triumph for UCF (3-1 overall, 1-0 AAC) opened the American Athletic Conference schedule for the Knights while handing the Bearcats (2-5, 0-2) their fourth consecutive defeat.
The trio of Mahan (game-high 25 points, team-high 10 rebounds), Isaiah Adams (15 points, 13 in the second half) and Darin Green Jr. (12 points) combined for 52 of the Knights' points Tuesday night after those three had 74 Saturday in the victory over number-15 Florida State.
Keith Williams led the Bearcats with 19 points, while Zach Harvey had a career-high 15 points off the bench.
Wichita State 82, USF 77 (OT) -
Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tyson Etienne scored 25 points and Wichita State never trailed in overtime to beat South Florida 82-77 on Tuesday night.
The Shockers (4-2, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) scored first in the extra period on a layup from Craig Porter Jr. with 3:46 remaining and never gave up the advantage.
Clarence Jackson had 10 points and seven rebounds for Wichita State. Alterique Gilbert added 10 points. Trey Wade had seven rebounds. Etienne made 10 of 12 free throws and added six rebounds.
David Collins had 17 points for South Florida (5-3, 1-1), which had its four-game win streak snapped. Collins hit two of three foul shots with under a second remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Caleb Murphy added 14 points and six assists for the Bulls. Justin Brown had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Houston 76, Temple 50 -
Box Score
HOUSTON (AP) — Quentin Grimes had 22 points and seven rebounds, Justin Gorham had 14 points and 12 boards and No. 6 Houston beat Temple 76-50 on Tuesday night in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Grimes scored at least 20 points for the third straight game as the Cougars shot 48%, including 10 of 26 on 3-pointers. Reggie Chaney had 13 points and Tramon Mark scored 12 for Houston (6-0).
J.P. Moorman II scored 12 points and Brendan Barry had nine for Temple (1-1), which shot 29%.
The Cougars outrebounded Temple 43-26, including a 15-9 advantage on the offensive boards. Houston used that advantage for a 17-4 edge in second chance points.
Houston used a 12-2 run over a four-minute span to open up a 25-10 lead on a 3-pointer by DeJon Jarreau with 8:46 left in the first half. The Cougars led 32-22 at the half.
Houston outscored the Owls 23-8 to open the second half and extended its lead to 55-30 on a layup by Chaney with 12:20 remaining. Gorham had eight points in the run.