Memphis dropped to 2-1 in conference play following an 89-78 loss on the road to Florida Atlantic. While the Tigers made shots, they struggled down the stretch and couldn’t come up with stops against the Owls.
Penny Hardaway made another change to the starting lineup and decided to go with Dug McDaniel, Hasan Abdul Hakim, Zach Davis, Ashton Hardaway and Aaron Bradshaw to start the game. It’s the 11th different starting lineup that Hardaway has used in 15 games, but like the Rice game, the head coach decided to go with a bigger lineup to start the game.
Both Sincere Parker and Aaron Bradshaw were listed as questionable on the American Conference player availability report earlier in the day, but both played more than 15 minutes, and neither looked like they were limited by injuries. While both played, Thierno Sylla missed his third straight game due to an injury.
Bradshaw was one of the few highlights for the Tigers on Sunday, and he led the team with 21 points, including three-made three pointers, and five rebounds. The 21-point performance is a career-high for the big man, and he put together one of his better games in a Tigers’ uniform.
Bradshaw scored the first four points for Memphis to start the game, but Hardaway’s team had no answers for the Owls on the other end of the court, giving up a 7-0 run before the first media timeout. FAU went on another 6-0 run later in the first half, giving them a nine-point lead with 7:34 left in the half.
Memphis wouldn’t go away, and it cut the lead to two with a 7-0 run going into the break. Bradshaw played a huge role in that run, scoring 15 points in the first half.
The second half was much of the same, and the Owls went on two separate 7-0 runs in the first six minutes of the second half. John Jakus’ team led by as many as 17 points midway through the second half, before ultimately winning the game by 11 points.
As a team, Memphis shot 45.2 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line, but only two players finished in double figures. While Bradshaw led the team with 21, McDaniel finished with 12 points on 4-for-10 from the field.
42.9 percent is the second-best three-point shooting performance of the season, only behind the 43.3 percent showing against Alabama State.
One of the biggest discrepancies of the game was that FAU dominated Memphis on the boards, winning the battle 46-to-29, and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds that they turned into 19 second-chance points.
The Owls shot 50.7 percent from the field but only 28.6 percent from deep, and three players finished in double figures. Kanaan Carlyle led the team with 17 points, while Dean Williams added 12 points and seven blocked shots.
Devin Vanterpool recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Memphis only turned the ball over 14 times, which is down from the previous five games, and FAU turned those turnovers into 12 points off turnovers.
With the loss, the Tigers drop to 7-8 on the season, and they’ll return home on Wednesday for a matchup against Temple. The Owls, which will be the third Owl mascot that Memphis has played in a row, are 11-5 on the season, including a 3-0 start in conference play, and are currently on a 7-game winning streak.