The Memphis Tigers returned to the winning column, beating the Charlotte 49ers 77-68. This marks the first win for Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers at Halton Arena, where they were previously 0-5.
After 5 minutes of play, Memphis trailed Charlotte 10-11. This was the Tigers last time trailing in the game.
Dain Dainja got things started, and PJ Carter and Dante Harris both hit 3s to push Memphis up 7. In the following minutes, Memphis would hold the 49ers to just 3 points, and go on a 12-0 run to put them up 30-14 with 6:23 left to go in the first half.
The Tigers kept their foot on the pedal and went into the locker rooms up 41-25.
Tyrese Hunter had 10 first half points, and Memphis was shooting 46% from the perimeter. Despite the high scoring half, the Tigers did commit 9 turnovers.
The 49ers were able to cut back into the lead and even hit back-to-back triples to reduce the margin to 10. Memphis led 53-43 with 13 minutes to go.
As soon as they got back in the game, Memphis answered with a 10-0 run, all 10 coming from the paint or the foul line. PJ Haggerty hit his only 3 of the game to push the lead to 66-45.
Once again, Charlotte did not let the Tigers breathe easy. They went on to outscore Memphis 17-6 in the remaining 5 minutes of the game. They were only able to cut the lead to 9, but did on a 9-0 run in the final minutes.
Memphis was able to handle business against the 7-11 49ers and get back on track, winning 77-68.
Memphis finished the game shooting 38-57(49.1%) and retuned to their average 3-point shooting form at 40%.
They also improved their rebounding numbers after last week's game where they were outrebounded 25-49. Tonight, they won the battle 42-28. Moussa Cisse and PJ Haggerty finished with 8 rebounds, while Dainja lead the team with 9.
The Tigers committed 16 turnovers and finished with only 14 assists.
The MVP goes to PJ Haggerty. The star point guard finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.
This was an encouraging win for the Tigers. After the loss vs Temple, it felt like a scary flashback to last season. Today, the team showed resilience and effort, by absorbing and answering Charlotte's runs, and fixing the rebounding problems from the Temple game.
Memphis will host the Wichita State Shockers at home on Thursday, January 23. The 11-7 Shockers will look to improve their 1-4 conference record, as Memphis aims to defend home court. Tip off is set for 6.p.m.
