FedEx Forum was packed for the second straight week as the University of Memphis basketball team took advantage of its last chance to obtain a ranked win, beating 16th-ranked Ole Miss 87-70.

First Half:

Virginia transfer Dante Harris made his season debut with 14 minutes remaining in the first half, showing the coaching staff's trust in the veteran guard. Harris was announced as a Tiger Friday evening and has been with the team for at least a week, as first reported by Hitmen Hoops.

Moussa Cisse started the game with an emphatic jam in his Ole Miss revenge game after receiving a superb lob from PJ Haggerty.

Memphis' consistent lead characterized the first half. Every time the Tigers made it look like they were about to break away, the Rebels knocked down a timely three.

Memphis led by as much as 13 points but ended the half with only a two-point lead, 38-36.

Two of Memphis' three-guard trio had good halves in Colby Rogers' 13 and Haggerty's10 first-half points. But point guard Tyrese Hunter visibly struggled in the first period, going 0/4 from the field with 0 points.

Dain Dainja's turnover struggles continued as he totaled three first-half turnovers in only 10 minutes of play. His season-long 22.7% turnover percentage is second on the team behind only Baraka Okojie. Despite the rough first half, Dainja exploded in the second half, finishing the game with 16 points.

Second Half:

The Tigers began the second half on a 14-4 run. Soon after, Ole Miss forward Mikeal Brown-Jones was assessed a flagrant two and ejected from the game after this dirty hit on Cisse. Note that two things can be true at once. Yes, this was a dirty hit by Brown-Jones, and yes, Cisse did a good job (Oscar-worthy?) of alerting the refs of the violation.

And from that moment, the second half Tigers™ ran with momentum.

Colby Rogers' bounce-back day (1/19 FG in the Tigers' last two games) continued as he finished the game with 28 points and 5 rebounds. Rogers' 6 threes made up all Rogers' Bounce Back Day Leads Tigers Over Rebels.

The Rebels' attempts to crawl back into this game were futile, as with 9:35 remaining, Ole Miss was down to its last timeout, showing how often they tried to stop the bleeding.

A Dainja emphatic slam gave Memphis an 81-67 lead with 3:42 remaining as the Forum exploded in excitement from the fans in blue. Subsequently, Ole Miss fans began to hit the exits.

Postgame, Ole Miss coach Chris Beard noted that Memphis was much more emotionally attached to this game than his team was.

Penny credits his tough coaching and the entire week of preparation: "I was as hard as them as I've ever been all year...All week, it was grit and grind practices."

"Today's game, in my mind, was a must-win...It was our last chance at a quad. 1"

In two of Memphis' three losses, they have been favored. And throughout the rest of the regular season, the Tigers will be favored.

Hardaway notes that Memphis will be the entire AAC's "t-shirt" game, meaning his team will be "hunted."

Reach Rivals contributor Sam Shoemaker on X @s_shoemaker52 or email sjshmker@memphis.edu