Cincinnati 69, East Carolina 48: Octavius Ellis collected 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as the host Bearcats cruised to their fourth straight win.

Kevin Johnson matched his career high with 12 points and Troy Caupain added 10 points and six assists for Cincinnati (11-3, 2-0 American), which improved to 8-0 all-time against East Carolina. Freshman Gary Clark scored eight points to go with a career-best 16 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals for the Bearcats.

B.J. Tyson had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead East Carolina (7-9, 0-3), which has lost 10 straight road games dating to last season. Terry Whisnant added 11 points for the Pirates, who shot 27 percent overall and were 5-for-22 from 3-point range.

The Pirates missed 19 of their first 22 shots, and Caupain snapped the Bearcats out of their slow start at the offensive end with five quick points, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring off a steal in a span of 13 seconds to make it 24-14 with just over six minutes left in the half. Cincinnati capped the half with a flourish, as Caupain threw an alley-oop pass for Shaquille Thomas to give the Bearcats a 38-22 lead at the break.

East Carolina never got closer than 14 in the second half, as Johnson scored six points during a 12-2 burst that stretched the lead to 50-26 at the 14-minute mark. The Bearcats allowed only one field goal over the final 4:36 while holding their 18th consecutive opponent to 70 points or fewer, the longest active streak in the nation.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati improved to 4-1 under interim coach Larry Davis, who will lead the team for the remainder of the season while Mick Cronin deals with health issues. … Thomas did not start for the first time this season, coming off the bench to score six points on 3-of-4 shooting. … Cincinnati walk-on Zack Tobler scored his first career field goal in the final minute, drawing a big cheer from the home crowd.