Gray leads Houston in its final game in Hofheinz Pavilion (Mar 05, 2017)
HOUSTON (AP) Rob Gray scored 24 points and went over 1,000 for his career and Houston defeated East Carolina 73-51 on Sunday.
Houston (21-9, 12-6) claimed the third seed and a bye into the quarterfinals at the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Hartford, Connecticut. East Carolina (14-17, 6-12) is the ninth seed and plays eighth seed Temple on Thursday, the tournament's opening day.
Wes Van Beck added 11 points.
Jeremy Sheppard scored 12 points for the Pirates. Andre Washington blocked three shots, setting an ECU single-season record with 92.
Houston, leading 33-32 at halftime, used a 15-5 run, including eight points from Gray, to go up 48-37. Raquan Wilkins hit a 3-pointer for ECU but Gray then scored first seven points in a 19-6 run to lead 67-46 with three minutes to go.
Houston competed for the final time in Hofheinz Pavilion and will play off campus next season while the venue undergoes a $60 million renovation to re-emerge as Fertitta Center for 2018-19.
