The Memphis Tigers (20-4) defeated the Temple Owls 90-82 at the FedEx Forum. The Owls are the only AAC team to take down the Tigers. Memphis had 5 players score in double digits, PJ Haggerty being the lead man with 20.
Dain Dianja started the scoring for Memphis, giving the Tigers their first 4. Minutes later, the big knocked down a pair of free throws to give Memphis a 10-7 lead.
At the 11:08 mark, Colby Rogers made his first triple of the game to push the advantage to 21-17. After multiple threes from the Owls, Memphis trailed 27-25 with 4 minutes left until halftime.
Dante Harris, who got the start in place of an injured Tyrese Hunter, scored his first bucket of the game with 2:20 to go. This started a 7-0 run. Nick Jourdain capped off this spurt with his first and only triple, giving Memphis a 35-30 lead.
However, a missed free throw and some defensive confusion allowed for the Owls to sink a 3 in the closing seconds of the half. Going into the locker rooms, it was tied at 35.
Turnovers were the story of the first half. Memphis, who has played clean basketball in recent games, turned the ball over 11 times, resulting in 11 points for Temple. The Tigers committed just 8 turnovers on Wednesday's win vs Tulsa.
At 16:03, Dante Harris, once again, sparked a 7-0 run. Although, this time, it was PJ Haggerty who hit a 3 to cap it off. Harris finished with 14 points, a season high.
After Temple cut the lead back down to 1, Haggerty converted on an and one to create another Memphis run. The Tigers scored 5 straight off free throws before Dante Harris made a layup, and Colby Rogers sunk a 3 to give Memphis a 60-49 lead with 11 minutes remaining.
The Owls were able to handle the Tiger's spurts of momentum and quiet the Forum after these runs, until PJ Carter made his 2nd 3 of the game with 5:45 to play. While there was nothing spectacular about the shot itself, it was ultimately the basket that demoralized the Owls enough for the Tigers to take full control of the game.
Just 70 seconds later, PJ Haggerty hit a 3 of his own to give Memphis a 15-point lead, their biggest advantage of the game.
At this point, the Tigers took their foot off the gas. They looked like a team that thought the game was over. The Owls took advantage and went on a 7-0 run, resulting in a Penny Hardaway timeout.
Despite nearly perfect defense from the Temple, Colby Rogers scored his 3rd and final triple at the end of the shot clock to stop the Tiger's bleeding and give them a 82-71 lead with 2:26 to go.
While Carter's 3 was the momentum boost Memphis needed, Roger's shot was the true dagger of the game. Rogers finished with 9 points.
Temple was able to cut the lead to 6 with a minute remaining, but Memphis converted from the charity stripe and handled business.
The Tigers finished shooting 32-57(56.1%) from the field and 8-19(42.1%) from beyond the arc. They also out rebounded the Owls 26-24, a much improved number compared to the first time these two matched up.
Despite turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, Memphis finished with just 13 turnovers. The cleanliness of the second half is what allowed for the Tigers to take their advantage. They also capitalized off Temple's giveaways, scoring 18-points off their 16 turnovers.
This was a complete team effort from the Tigers. PJ Haggerty finished with 18 points and 7 assists, Dainja with 18 points and 8 rebounds, Moussa Cisse with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Nick Jourdain was also essential to the win, playing great defense and making the right pass to the right person. This win is a result of players playing their role and making smart decisions.
Memphis will travel to Florida to take on the South Florida Bulls on Thursday. The Tigers will look to make it their 8th straight win and continue their conference domination. Tip off is set for 8.p.m.
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