Cincinnati, UConn and ECU all successfully defended their home courts in American Athletic Conference men's basketball action Sunday (Feb. 23).

ECU 67, Temple 63 - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Jayden Gardner tied his season high with 29 points plus 13 rebounds as East Carolina held Temple scoreless for the last 2:41 to edge the Owls 67-63 on Sunday.

Tremont Robinson-White scored the go-ahead bucket with 1:48 remaining and Tristen Newton and J.J. Miles added 3 of 4 at the line to close it out as East Carolina halted a three-game skid. Temple missed four shots and turned the ball over three times down the stretch.

Miles scored 11 points and had six rebounds for East Carolina (11-17, 5-10 American Athletic Conference). Newton added 10 points and Robinson-White scored three points with five rebounds and he stole the ball from Quinton Rose with under a minute to play.

Rose scored 15 points for the Owls (14-13, 6-8). Monty Scott added 12 points. J.P. Moorman II had nine points and eight rebounds.

(rv) Cincinnati 67, Wichita State 64 - Box Score
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The ball left Jamarius Burton's hands at mid-court, and everyone in a Cincinnati uniform had a familiar, bad feeling.

If the ball found the net, the Bearcats would be going overtime yet again.

Not this time. The shot had too much on it, and Cincinnati ended its NCAA record-tying streak of overtime games Sunday, holding on for a 67-64 victory over Wichita State.

As it has for the last few weeks, it came down to the final shot.

''Your heart drops a little bit, once that ball leaves (Burton's hands),'' said Jarron Cumberland, who had 24 points. ''But we've got it.''

The Bearcats (18-9, 11-4 American Athletic) had gone overtime each of their last four games, matching the NCAA record. With only seconds left, it seemed that a fifth one could be at hand.

''I mean, it crosses your mind,'' Cumberland said.

The Shockers (20-7, 8-6) couldn't extend the game, done in by their cold shooting in the closing minutes.

Cumberland led the way despite a poor shooting game. He went only 3 of 11 from the field, but made 16 of his 22 free throws, including one with 2.1 seconds left that provided the final margin.

Wichita State had its three-game winning streak snapped. Cincinnati has won six in a row over the Shockers, including an 80-79 victory on Feb. 6.

Jaime Echenique had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Wichita State.

Neither team led by more than five in a ragged first half that featured four ties and nine lead changes. Wichita State missed its last six shots in the half, helping Cincinnati put together an eight-point run for a 31-28 halftime lead.

''We made it about defense this week,'' coach John Brannen said. ''We felt we needed to play better. We just haven't been playing well, and it started with our investment, our physical and emotional investment.

''I felt for 25 minutes, it was as good as it's been in a month.''

The Shockers' cold shooting extended into the second half. They missed six of their first seven shots while Cincinnati pulled ahead 38-30.

Erik Stevenson scored six straight points for the Shockers, including a steal and layup, and Echenique had a three-point play that tied it 58-58 with 4:32 to go, but the Shockers went cold again at the end and never regained the lead.

After pulling even, Wichita State missed eight of its last nine shots from the field, allowing Cincinnati to hold on.

UConn 78, USF 71 - Box Score
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- UConn guard Christian Vital believes the experience of losing a lot of close games this season helped the Huskies get a win on Sunday.

Vital scored 24 points and freshman James Bouknight had 16 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Connecticut past USF 78-71.

Jalen Gaffney and Brendan Adams each added 10 points for Connecticut (15-12, 6-8 American), which has lost 10 games this season by single digits, including Thursday's double-overtime setback at Temple.

''We know that the teams we lost to, we should have beat them,'' Vital said. ''So now, it's like, we've been in this position before, so lets just finish it now.''

Justin Brown scored 22 points and David Collins added 18 to lead USF (11-16, 4-10), which has lost four straight.

''We fought and battled for the second game on the road,'' South Florida coach Brian Gregory said. ''We just didn't get the stops you need to get on the road in those critical situations.''

The Huskies led by as many as 11 points in the first half and by six points at halftime.

But Bouknight and center Josh Carlton each picked up their third fouls early in the second half and USF hit its first five shots after intermission.

A 3-pointer by Laquincy Rideau tied the game at 38 and a 3-pointer by Madut Akec gave the Bulls their only lead of the second half at 47-46.

A tomahawk dunk from Vital highlighted an 8-2 run that put the Huskies back up 59-53.

But three minutes later, a pair of free throws from David Collins cut UConn's lead to 65-62.

Vital and Bouknight took over from there.

A step-back 3-pointer from Vital, which sent a defender sprawling, started an 8-0 run that clinched the game. He and Bouknight accounted for 12 of the Huskies final 13 points.

''Me and him, when we go out there, we've just got to be the dynamic duo type,'' Bouknight said. ''When I came back in the second half, he said it was a little harder without me.''