NEW ORLEANS -- Octavius Ellis netted a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, as Cincinnati took an early lead and held it to beat Tulane 63-47 on Saturday.

Kevin Johnson added 15 points for the Bearcats (20-9, 11-5 American Conference), Shaquille Thomas had 11 points and Gary Clark had eight points and nine rebounds.

Johnson sank back-to-back 3-pointers -- he was 4 of 6 from distance overall -- to cap a 13-4 start for the Bearcats on their way to a 30-16 advantage at the break.

Tulane got to within 12 points, 37-25, early in the second half but could not get closer as Cincinnati continued to dominate and cruised to the win. The Bearcats outrebounded Tulane 40-26 overall and finished with 47.2 percent shooting from the field compared to 34.8 percent for Tulane.

Louis Dabney led the Green Wave (14-14, 5-11) with 18 points.