University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
DePaul
Balanced Offensive Attack Carries Tigers Past DePaul, 88-61
Feb 23, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Feb 23, 2002
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Kelly Wise scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Saturday to lead five Tigers in double figures as Memphis defeated DePaul 88-61.
The victory clinched the Conference USA National Division title for the Tigers (22-7, 12-3).
Wise, playing in his final home game, connected on 11-of-15 shots. Freshman Dajuan Wagner added 20 points and five assists, while Earl Barron had 15 and Anthony Rice finished with 14. Chris Massie, like Wise, had a double-double, coming off the bench for 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers were 51 percent from the floor, compared to just 38 percent by DePaul (9-17, 2-12).
Memphis put together a 12-4 run midway through the first half to extend an eight-point lead to 16, 36-20, on a pair of free throws by Barron with 3:32 to play. The Tigers led 44-26 at the break, relying on Wise's inside play. He connected on all but one of his seven shots in the half, en route to 12 points.
The Tigers opened the second half with an 8-2 run to lead 52-28. They would go on to lead by as many as 26 points before a 21-9 run by DePaul cut the lead to 14.
But Memphis answered with a 3-pointer by Wagner and a 15-footer by Barron, allowing play by the Tigers' reserves in the final minutes.
Andre Brown led DePaul with 21 points, while Sam Hoskin finished with 14, hitting 4-of-7 from the field.
