The Memphis Tigers beat the Alabama State Hornets 92 to 75. In coach Rick Stansbury's last game as the head coach, the Tigers improved to 3-0. Head coach Penny Hardaway, who was serving a three-game suspension, will return to the Tigers bench Wednesday.
The first half of this game was physical. Memphis was losing most of the hustle plays, which is out of the ordinary, and they were getting out rebounded on the offensive boards 14-3. The first half turnover bug continued to infect the Tigers, giving the ball up ten times, and only creating three steals.
While Memphis was out hustled in the first half, they made up for it offensively. The Tigers shot 16-27 from the field, and 6-12 from beyond-the-arc. The team followed the lead of guard David Jones, who was on fire. Jones had 17 points in the first period of play, and shot 75% from three.
With 12:04 remaining in the first half, Memphis gained an eleven point lead, the score was 21-10 . The Hornets then went on a 20-10 run to bring the score to 31-30 with 5:12 left. Alabama State had stolen the momentum from the Tigers, until David Jones flipped a switch. Jones scored 13 of his 17 first half points in the last five minutes. The senior from the Dominican Republic hit a step-back corner three, with two seconds left, to put Memphis up 47-36 at half.
In the second half, the Tigers came back down to Earth from three. They shot 5-13 from the perimeter and 16-34 from the floor. The final twenty minutes of play were controlled by Memphis. They fixed the hustle differential, and tightened up defensively to secure the win. Creating five turnovers and four blocks.
With 17:28 to play, Memphis held a 10 point lead, and was up 51-41. Memphis held onto the advantage for the whole second half. Every time the Hornets would make a push, the Tigers would extend the score back to ten. Guard Jahvon Quinerly lead the charge, scoring 11 points and quarter-backed the Tigers offensively and defensively.
It wasn't until 8:49 remaining that the Tigers dominated. Up until then there was still some sloppy play, and defensive lapses. After the nine-minute mark, the Tigers ran away with the game, leading 74-55. They held onto the lead for the remainder of the game. By the end of the game fans were chanting for Noah Stansbury, son of Rick Stansbury, to shoot the ball as time expired.
Memphis wrapped up the game shooting 52.5% from the field, and 44% from three. The Tigers excelled from beyond the arc, but turned the ball over 18 times. This has been a problem for them, and one that needs to be fixed fast. While every one on the team tonight played well, the two standouts were Quinerly and Jones. Jones cooled down in the second half, but still put up a double-double, scoring an efficient 22 points and 10 rebounds. Quinerly finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Battle 4 Atlantis starts Wednesday the 22nd, and the Memphis Tigers will take on the Michigan Wolverines at 5pm. The game will feature the return of coach Hardaway and will be broadcasted on ESPN2. The Wolverines, 3-1, are the best team the Tigers have faced, so a challenge awaits in the Imperial Arena in the Bahamas.
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