Houston guard Damyean Dotson scored 17 points, leading the Cougars to an 88-61 rout of Central Florida on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.

Senior forward Devonta Pollard added 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and forward Danrad Knowles came off the bench to score 13 points for Houston (20-8, 10-6 American Athletic Conference).

The Cougars opened the second half with a 20-4 run to put away the struggling Knights (11-16, 5-10), who have lost six in a row. Houston clinched a first-round bye in the American Conference tournament with the win.

Guard Chance McSpadden scored 15 points, and guard Adonys Henriquez added 13 points to lead the Knights.

Houston closed the first half on a 16-3 run to take a 37-25 lead into halftime. Dotson had 12 points in the first half for the Cougars. Central Florida never recovered.

The Cougars began the night in sixth place in the conference. The top six teams in the conference are separated by two games. Houston finishes the regular season at Connecticut and at home against Cincinnati.

Houston shot 50 percent from the floor and hit 10 3-pointers.Guard Rob Gray Jr. added 14 points off the bench for the Cougars.