Despite not making a field goal for the final 10 minutes or scoring in the last five, Cincinnati hung on for a 54-51 win against South Florida on Sunday afternoon at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

The Bearcats took a 53-38 lead with 10:07 left thanks to senior forward Octavius Ellis' layup, but they would score just one point the rest of the way -- a free throw from sophomore forward Gary Clark with five minutes left.

Luckily for Cincinnati, the Bulls could not capitalize, scoring just 13 points themselves in the final 10 minutes.

Cincinnati shot just 30.9 percent from the field, and got 14 points from junior guard Troy Caupain. Ellis and senior forward Shaq Thomas both added 10 points for the Bearcats, who picked up a needed win in the American Athletic Conference. They are not 2-2 in the league and 12-5 overall.

South Florida freshman guard Jahmal MacMurray led all scorers with 16 points, but was the only Bulls player in double figures as the team fell to 3-14 and 0-4 in the AAC. South Florida shot much better than Cincinnati, going 23-for-45 (51.1 percent) from the floor, but the team was limited due to 18 turnovers.