Mike Saunders Jr. scored 14 points and John Newman III added 11 points and seven rebounds as the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team ran out of gas in a 71-53 loss Tuesday night at No. 14 Houston.
While the Bearcats (17-13, 7-10) suffered their fourth straight loss and sixth defeat in seven games, the Cougars (25-4, 14-2) clinched at least a share of the regular-season American Athletic Conference championship for the third time in four seasons.
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UC, which suffered its fifth straight loss to Houston dating back to the 2019-20 season, started strong, knocking down three of its first five shots from 3-point range and owning an 11-9 lead at the first timeout.