Huntsville, AL - Memphis falls 96-88 to the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, bringing the Tigers to 0/2 in preseason exhibition matchups against top 10 teams.
First half:
On the game's first possession, the Tigers allowed Alabama three chances to score. With a squad as talented as the Tide, this microcosm of the match hurt Memphis, especially given the injury of reserve forward Tyreek Smith.
In a first half where points were hard to come by for Memphis, Moussa Cisse’s mid-first quarter back-to-back blocks gave the Tigers a much-needed boost. Cisse, a bench piece for Memphis, gave his squad exactly what it needed: size, rebounding, and a defensive paint presence.
In the first half, Memphis could not get anything going in the halfcourt offense. Most of the Tiger's points came from transition and turning defense into easy offense.
Memphis’ efficiency struggled against Alabama’s high-pressure defense, shooting 27.8% from the field.
Alabama pushed the lead to 20 by half, led by 13 points from senior guard and All-American Mark Sears.
Halftime score: 49-29, Alabama leads.
Second Half:
The Tigers did not hit one from deep all game until Colby Rogers’ top of the key three with 13:17 left in the contest.
Despite the tough first half, Memphis fought back in the second; Alabama's largest lead grew to just 21 points.
With nine minutes left, the Tigers brought it to a 10-point contest.
In the second half, Memphis continued to play active, hard defense. The problem came in the last 10 seconds of the shot clock. Hard defense for 20 seconds is great, but against a team as well-coached as Alabama, they methodically find their way to open shots.
Conversely, Memphis was not making Alabama work hard on the defensive end.
PJ Haggerty's second-half scoring run of 28 brought the Tigers within six in the final two minutes of the contest.
Despite the tough first half and overall shooting, Haggerty and Memphis fought hard until the final buzzer.
Standouts:
PJ Haggerty: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 8(!?) fouls
Dain Dainja: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 5 fouls
Tyrese Hunter: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
