HOUSTON (AP) Shaq Thomas scored 18, and Gary Clark had 11 points and 14 rebounds to help Cincinnati end a three-game losing streak by beating Houston 63-53 on Saturday night.
Kevin Johnson added 12 points for Cincinnati (18-9, 9-5 American Athletic Conference), which came into the game ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense (55.4 per game) and has held each of its last 11 opponents to fewer than 60 points.
Danrad Knowles hit a 3-pointer to pull Houston (9-17, 1-13) within two with 6:48 to play, but Thomas answered with a 3 of his own, sparking a 12-0 run which made it 63-49 with 2:30 remaining.
Knowles led the Cougars with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jherrod Stiggers and Devonta Pollard scored 13 apiece.
Cincinnati converted 16 Houston turnovers into 20 points and made more free throws (17) than the Cougars attempted (12).
Houston has lost five in a row.
