The Tigers got off to a 1-0 start in conference play with a 57-48 win over North Texas. Neither team shot the ball well, but Memphis managed to secure its first win in conference play.
Injuries have played a huge role this season, and Penny Hardaway’s team dealt with them again, as Thierno Sylla missed the game with an injury. With the injury, Hardaway used another new lineup to start the game.
Dug McDaniel, Julius Thedford, Ashton Hardaway, William Whorton and Tariq Ingraham made up the starting five, but they struggled early in the contest. The two teams combined for five turnovers, and Memphis led 7-4 at the first media timeout.
The two teams combined for only 46 points in the first quarter, but Hardaway’s team used a 9-2 run to close the first half, giving them a 10-point lead at the break. The Tigers shot 40.7 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from deep in the first half, but they went to the locker room with 11 turnovers over the first 20 minutes of action.
Defensively, Memphis held the Mean Green to only 18 points, and they shot 30 percent from the field and 0-for-14 from three-point range.
In the second half, it was more of the same, but the Tigers stretched the lead to 16 points with less than nine minutes left in the game. It felt like Memphis put the game on cruise control and cut it to a nine-point deficit with four minutes remaining following a 10-2 run.
Free throws played a major role in the game, and the Tigers finished the night 4-for-15 from the charity stripe. Every player who attempted a free throw missed at least one, and four players missed all their attempts.
Memphis also finished with 20 turnovers, and the Mean Green recorded 13 points off turnovers. Every player who played more than three minutes turned the ball over, and seven players finished with five or more turnovers.
As a team, the Tigers shot 47.1 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from three, and Zach Davis and Sincere Parker finished in double-figures. Davis led the team with 12 points, on 5-for-11, while Parker had finished with 10 points and three rebounds.
Both players came off the bench.
Defensively, Memphis held North Texas to 37.5 percent from the field and 5.6 percent from three, and leading scorer Je’Shawn Stevenson ended the night with 20 points and six rebounds. The Mean Green turned the ball over 18 times, and the Tigers scored 13 points off turnovers.
Memphis won the rebounding battle 38-to-30, and they scored 13 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.
Hardaway’s team hits the road for its next game against Rice on Saturday. The Owls are 6-8 on the season, but they started conference play with a 49-point loss to Tulsa on Wednesday.