SMU 63, USF 52: Markus Kennedy scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Mustangs to an American Athletic Conference victory on the road.

Kennedy made 10-of-12 from the field in eclipsing his previous high of 21 points, which he had accomplished four times for SMU (17-4, 8-1). Yanick Moreira notched 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Mustangs, who have won seven straight and 15 of their last 16 games.

Nehemias Morillo produced 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting for USF (7-14, 1-7), which has dropped six straight and 13 of its last 15 games. Corey Allen Jr. added 18 points and Jaleel Cousins contributed six points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls.

The Bulls got off to a strong start in the first half, taking an early lead and holding it for more than 13 minutes before the Mustangs made a run. Ben Emelogu and Nic Moore sandwiched 3-pointers around a dunk by Kennedy as SMU went up 23-18 with 4 1/2 minutes left before going to the locker room with a 32-25 advantage.

USF, which endured a 34-point defeat in the first meeting, refused to go away in the second half, making it a two-possession game on numerous occasions. Moreira's dunk put the SMU lead at 52-40 with fewer than eight minutes remaining and the Mustangs made it stand up.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Chris Perry, who averages 10.8 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds, missed his second straight game due to what USF deemed health concerns. ... After opening 1-of-7 from the field, the Mustangs finished the first half by going 12-of-20, including 5-of-5 by Kennedy, who started 8-of-8 spanning the two halves. ... One game after matching the school record with eight 3-pointers, Moore finished with seven points on 2-of-11 shooting and six assists.