After back-to-back road losses last week, Memphis returned to FedExForum and picked up a 27-point win over FAU.
Both teams were affected by injuries, and the Owls were forced to play without their top two leading scorers, Devin Vanterpool and Kanaan Carlyle. With those two out, John Jakus was missing 30.7 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game, and the team looked out of sorts.
The Tigers held the Owls to 30.8 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three-point range, and FAU only shot 69.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Owls won the rebounding battle again, but it wasn’t as dominant as the first game in Boca Raton.
For most of the first half and earlier in the second half, Memphis couldn’t run away with the game. The Tigers maintained a lead between six and 10 points, but with a little more than 15 minutes remaining in the game, Hardaway’s team went on a 15-3 run to take a 20-point lead with 12:41 remaining in the game.
The Tigers shot 50.7 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three-point range and 89.5 percent from the free-throw line. Hardaway’s team scored 50 points in the paint, and they scored 27 points off 27 turnovers.
McDaniel and Parker shine after being questionable to play
About two hours before tip-off, the American released the availability report, which featured Dug McDaniel, Sincere Parker and Hasan Abdul Hakim. Abdul Hakim and Curtis Givens both missed the game, while McDaniel and Parker both played.
Both guards played a massive role in the win, and they both scored more than 20 points. McDaniel led the team with 23 points and added six assists and three steals, while Parker finished the game with 21 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Both players have played massive roles this season, but Parker has remained an option off the bench. It’s clear that Hardaway likes Parker as an option off the bench, and it will be interesting to see if he stays in that role.
Aaron Bradshaw continues to find success in conference play
While McDaniel and Parker led the team in scoring, Aaron Bradshaw was right behind the two and finished with 15 points and four rebounds.
Bradshaw was very efficient, especially early in the game, and he scored 11 of his points in the first half. The big man has now scored double-digits in five of the last six games, including 21 points in the first meeting against FAU.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Bradshaw, but he has impressed recently, and the Tigers will need him to continue to play well through the rest of conference play.
Tigers win the turnover battle
Turnovers have been an issue for the Tigers in conference play, but it wasn’t an issue on Thursday. Memphis only turned the ball over 13 times, and they forced 24 turnovers on the other end of the court.
It’s only the third time the Tigers have recorded 13 or fewer turnovers in a game over the last 11 games.
On the other end of the court, the Owls struggled, turning the ball over throughout the game, and the Tigers capitalized on those miscues and scored 27 points off turnovers.