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CINCINNATI -- Following a dismal performance in Sunday's loss at Central Florida, Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin was looking for a response from his team. Cronin liked what he saw from his players in practice, and that effort carried over to Thursday night.

Gary Clark scored 14 points and Troy Caupain added 11 with five assists, lifting No. 18 Cincinnati to a 65-47 victory over Houston in the final game at Fifth Third Arena before it closes for an $87 million renovation.

"We had the best two practices we've had in a month," Cronin said. "Our effort was off the charts. Defensively, we were as good as we've been in a while. It was a great way to close out Fifth Third Arena against a team that's been playing well."

Cincinnati (26-4, 15-2 American) extended its home winning streak to 26 games, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Oregon's 42.

"We talk a lot about protecting our house," senior guard Kevin Johnson said. "Winning on the road in tough. So, winning at home is a big key to success."

Fifth Third Arena, which opened in 1989, will close for one season. The Bearcats will play home games in BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University in 2017-18.

When asked following Thursday's game what the renovated facility will mean to his program and recruiting, Cronin said "I think about it every day."

Houston (20-9, 11-6 American) saw its two-game winning streak snapped and failed to secure the No. 3 seed in the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars have won seven of nine.

"We are a better team than we played tonight," said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. "We've just got to play better. So we'll see, we've got an important game on Sunday (East Carolina), we'll move onto that one."

Cincinnati's defense completely shut down Houston's offense for most of Thursday.

Cougars guard Rob Gray Jr., who leads the AAC in scoring with 20.3 points per game, was held to just three points in the first half. He finished with a team-leading 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting.

Damyean Dotson, who entered the week ranked fourth in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage at 46.5, was 2 of 6 on from long range Thursday, although he set a Houston record with a 3-pointer in 29 straight games.

"The plan was, don't let Dotson shoot and contain Gray," said Johnson. "We wanted to keep them on our chests and keep them from making shots."

Galen Robinson Jr., who averages just 6.3 points, scored eight in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting. But, the Cougars received few contributions from other players in the half.

Cincinnati feasted on 10 Houston turnovers in the first half, leading to 13 points.

Coming off a 53-49 loss at Central Florida in which they shot just 29.6 percent, the Bearcats were better offensively Thursday night.

Johnson hit a 3-pointer to give Cincinnati its largest lead to that point, 29-18 late in the first half. He finished with seven points and Jarron Cumberland had 10.

The Bearcats finished the half with a 20-4 run, capped when Jacob Evans sailed in from the left block to slam home Johnson's missed layup, putting the Bearcats ahead 37-20 at the half.

Cincinnati kept its foot on the gas in the second half and finished with 22 points off 13 Cougars turnovers. The Bearcats outrebounded Houston 40-24.

"Twenty-two points off of 13 turnovers, that makes it tough," Sampson said. "There is no shame in losing to Cincinnati. Our problem is we just didn't take care of the ball."

Houston missed nine straight shots and went more than five minutes without scoring as the Bearcats pulled away for an easy victory.

It was the lowest point total of the season for the Cougars.

"When we were at practice after losing to Central Florida, coach (Cronin) put our numbers on the board," Caupain said. "We needed to get back to playing Cincinnati basketball. Get back to doing what we do best."

NOTES: Cincinnati finished unbeaten at home for the first time since the 2001-02 season. ... On Sunday, Houston will play its final game in Hofheinz Pavilion before it undergoes a $60 million renovation, then reopens as the Fertitta Center in 2018-19. ...Thursday marked the final home game for Bearcats senior guards Troy Caupain and Kevin Johnson and popular walk-on Zack Tobler. Cincinnati's senior class helped it go 97-32 overall and 54-16 in the American Athletic Conference with three straight NCAA Tournament trips. ... Cincinnati leads the all-time series with Houston 29-2, including a 15-0 record at home. The Bearcats won 67-58 in Houston earlier this season.