Final Score: Houston 93, East Carolina 80

Tulsa, OK (Sports Network) - Aubrey Coleman had 29 points and five assists as Houston downed East Carolina, 93-80, in the first round of the Conference-USA Tournament.

Kelvin Lewis had 15 points and Desmond Wade added 13 points and seven assists for the Cougars (16-15), who has won three of their last five games and will take on Memphis Thursday.

Brock Young had 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Darrius Morrow added 22 points for the Pirates (10-21), who closed out their season by losing four of their last five games.

Houston held a nine-point lead on a Coleman layup with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but East Carolina closed the gap to three on a Jamar Abrams three-ball with 6:39 remaining.

However, the Cougars later ripped off an 11-2 run to help the team take a 50-37 lead into the locker room.

Houston led by as many as 26 points in the second half, but an 11-1 run by East Carolina got the team to within nine points as Corvonn Gaines' layup made it an 89-80 game with 2:06 left.

The Cougars, though, kept the Pirates off the board for the rest of the game to escape with the win.

03/10 15:49:55 ET