The #19 Memphis Tigers narrowly defeated the ECU Pirates at home, winning 74-70. The Penny Hardaway led Tigers led by as many as 18 in their 4-point win. Memphis leaned on star point guard PJ Haggerty, who finished with 25-points, in their victory.

Memphis started this game with a 7-0 run. The Pirates didn't score their first basket for nearly 6 minutes. East Carolina threw a 3-2 zone at Memphis. The Tigers were able to exploit the zone, but struggled to knock down their shots.

That is until Memphis went on a 16-0 run that lasted for just over 4 minutes. The Tigers played complimentary basketball during this span, and took a 27-9 lead.

Despite some defensive lapses and shooting struggles, Memphis maintained their advantage and went into the locker rooms up 38-24.

Memphis shot 4-12 from the perimeter in the first half and only tuned the ball over 6 times. Colby Rogers shot 3-5 from 3 in the first half. Tyrese Hunter was the only other Tiger with a triple in the first half.

East Carolina started the second half on a 9-0 run. Memphis had come out of the locker rooms looking unmotivated.

The Tigers suddenly started throwing lazy passes, eased up defensively, and made unforced mistakes.

By the 13 minute mark, East Carolina had cut the lead to just 4.

Dain Dainja became a factor in the second half, after scoring 0 points in the opening half. Dainja finished with 10, and with 6:45 left to play, he split a pair of free throws and pushed the Tiger's advantage to 7.

The Pirates, who had gained confidence over the course of the half, rallied behind C.J Walker and a 7-0 run, cut the lead to 1 with 2:50 remaining.

The Tigers went to their closer for the remainder of the game, none other than PJ Haggerty. The Tulsa transfer scored 8 of the last 10 points for the Tigers.

The game was tied 68-68 with 1:11 to go, and Haggerty drove to the lane, drew the foul, and converted the free throws to keep the Tigers in front. Following a defensive stop, Tyrese Hunter iced the game with a layup to push the lead to 4. Haggerty hit another pair of free throws to end the game, 74-70.

Memphis shot 25-61(41%) and 6-23(26.1%) from beyond the arc. Memphis shot just 2-11 from the perimeter in the second half. The Tigers were out rebounded 40-36, allowing 14 second chance points. Rebounding kept the Pirates in the game alongside turnovers.

Memphis turned the ball over 16 times. Many of these turnovers were errant passes and unforced errors while dribbling. There were multiple instances of players just dribbling it off their legs, and simply losing the ball. ECU scored 24 points off turnovers.

The MVP belongs to PJ Haggerty, who finished with 25 points and 4 rebounds. He also shot 10-10 from the charity stripe.

Transfer Dante Harris gave Memphis 22 minutes of play. Harris scored 2 points, but contributed 4 assists, which lead the team. This is the kind of play Memphis needs out of Harris, since they have plenty of scoring guards.

This was a concerning game for Memphis. It has been communicated ad nauseam that the Tigers are going to get every team's best. Coach Hardaway has mentioned it in nearly every presser. Despite this being a point of focus, Memphis still came out in the second half and played a lazy, sloppy game, only to be saved by PJ Haggerty.

It is hard to be too critical after a win, but the Tigers will not find success in this style of play.

Memphis will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday to take on the 10-6 Temple Owls. Temple, led by head coach Adam Fisher, will look to improve their 2-1 conference record and defend home court. Tip off is set for 6.p.m.