Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Austin Nichols tallied 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Memphis Tigers outlasted the Houston Cougars, 62-44, in an American Athletic Conference battle at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Markel Crawford chipped in with 12 points for Memphis (9-6, 2-2 AAC), which ended a two-game losing streak with the victory. Kedren Johnson added in 10 points and four assists off the bench.

Jherrod Stiggers netted 13 points but turned the ball over five times for Houston (7-8, 0-4). Danrad Knowles added eight points and a team-best seven rebounds in the loss, which was the fourth in a row for the Cougars.

Memphis connected on 44.8 percent of its field goal tries in the first half, despite making just 1-of-6 from 3-point range, to take a 27-21 lead into the intermission. Houston shot 33.3 percent in the frame, and went 1-of-10 from distance.

The Tigers dipped slightly in the second half to 41.7 percent shooting, but hit on 12-of-16 from the free-throw line to add on to their lead. The Cougars stayed pat at 33.3 percent from the floor en route to the defeat.

Memphis held a commanding 30-18 advantage over Houston in points scored in the paint, and owned a 23-9 edge in points off turnovers.