Scott's double-double leads Cincinnati over ECU 82-57

Trevon Scott had 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double Sunday, and Cincinnati surged to a 20-point lead and coasted to an 82-57 victory over East Carolina. Junior guard Keith Williams added eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds for Cincinnati (11-7, 4-2 American Athletic Conference), which dominated upfront. The Bearcats had a 46-34 edge in rebounds and blocked eight shots.

Jarron Cumberland added 13 points and seven assists for the Bearcats.

East Carolina (8-10, 2-3) has lost two straight, coming off a stretch of six wins in seven games. Brandon Suggs scored 16 points for the Pirates, who struggled on offence for the second game in a row.

East Carolina was coming off it's the worst offensive showing of the season, a 65-49 loss to Tulsa. The Pirates had a season-low in points and shot a season-low 29.2% from the field.

The shooting troubles continued Sunday. East Carolina shot only 26.7% from the field — including 3 of 13 from beyond the arc — while falling behind 43-23. Cincinnati led by double digits the rest of the way as the Pirates shot 32.8% overall.

Forward Jayden Gardner has been the Pirates' catalyst, scoring at least 20 points in eight of the last nine games. He had only six points and one rebound while Cincinnati built its 20-point lead. Gardner finished with 13 points, his lowest total in 13 games.

BIG PICTURE

East Carolina: The Pirates' recent surge has been a function of improved defence that had allowed an average of 65.1 points in the last eight games. The Bearcats piled up the most points allowed by the Pirates since an 85-75 loss to Coppin State on Dec. 3.

Cincinnati: Cumberland, the AAC's top player last season, had been doing better after a rough start to his senior season. He averaged 15 points in his previous six games but went only 4 of 12 from the field Sunday.