Memphis cruises to 16-point win over Southern Illinois

Memphis picked up its second win of the season Wednesday night with a 74-58 win over Southern Illinois. 

There were a lot of questions about who would play after Thierno Sylla missed both games in the Bahamas, and both Curtis Givens III and Sincere Parker left Friday’s game with injuries. Sylla returned to the starting lineup, and Parker returned from the hand injury that held him out most of the game against Wake Forest.

Givens didn’t dress, and it’s unclear how much time he will miss with a thigh injury.

With Sylla back in the fold, Penny Hardaway rolled out another new roster, and this starting five featured Dug McDaniel, Zach Davis, Ashton Hardaway, Simon Majok and Sylla. Similar to the two games in the Bahamas, McDaniel was the only starter to give the Tigers much in the scoring department.

The Kansas State transfer finished with 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting and added five assists and a steal. Davis and Sylla combined for 12 points, while Ashton Hardaway and Majok both finished scoreless.

Aaron Bradshaw came off the bench for the second time this season, and he didn’t check into the game until six minutes into the game, after 12 players already appeared in the game for Memphis. Bradshaw finished with a season-high 14 points, but only four of those points came from the field, with 10 coming from the free-throw line.

Bradshaw continues to struggle in the rebounding department and finished the game with only four rebounds. 

As a team, the Tigers shot 43.1 percent from the field and made eight three pointers. Memphis got out to another fast start, leading by 10 points after five minutes of action, but the Salukis kept it close for most of the first half.

Memphis only led by two points with 5:45 left in the first half before they went on a 17-6 run to close the first half. The second half was a different story, and the Tigers never led by less than double digits the rest of the game.

While the starters struggled shooting the ball, Julius Thedford finished with 15 points and six rebounds off the bench, and he scored eight of the 15 in the second half. It’s been an up-and-down start to the season for Thedford, but he gave the Tigers a much needed spark off the bench.

Memphis also got its first look at Texas Rio Grande Valley transfer Hasan Abdul Hakim, as he returned from an injury that has held him out since the start of the season. Abdul Hakim finished with four points, three rebounds, two assists and a turnover in 21 minutes of work.

Parker also returned from a hand injury that held him out most of the night against Wake Forest. Parker went 2-for-9 from the field for seven points, an assist and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench.

Defensively, Memphis held Southern Illinois to 31 percent from the field and just 13 percent, 2-for-15, from three. Despite the lack of size, the Salukis tied Memphis in the rebounding department with 40, and they finished with 12 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds.

Seven players scored five or more points for Southern Illinois, and Jalen Haynes led the team with 10 points and two rebounds off the bench.

The Tigers improve to 2-4 on the season, and they’ll now have a week off before hosting New Orleans next Wednesday.