University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Oakland
Memphis Survives Against Oakland, 69-63
Dec 29, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec 29, 2003
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Sean Banks scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds Monday night as Memphis held off an Oakland, Mich., comeback to defeat the Grizzlies 69-63.
Memphis led by double digits in both halves, but Oakland cut the lead to two twice in the final four minutes behind 3-point shooting from Mike Helms and Rawle Marshall.
A drive by Marshall with 1:19 remaining pulled Oakland (6-6) within 63-61. Memphis converted 6-of-12 free throws down the stretch, and the Grizzlies could manage only one more field goal as the Tigers (8-2) won their fourth straight.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Oakland.
Banks connected on 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line to lead the Tigers. Jeremy Hunt added 15 points and nine assists for Memphis, while Antonio Burks scored 12. Freshman Ivan Lopez, starting his first game, scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Helms finished with 20 points before fouling out with 4:03 to play. The senior guard, Oakland's leading scorer, connected on 6-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-9 from behind the arc.
Marshall scored 16 for the Grizzlies, while Shawn Hopes scored 12 points, hitting five of his seven shots on the night.
Memphis led by 11 with 6:38 to play after a 3-pointer by Burks. But Oakland rattled off an 11-2 run, capped by a Marshall 3-pointer with 3:44 left.
But the Grizzlies could get no closer as Memphis converted its free throws. Even on the ones the Tigers missed, they grabbed rebounds, preventing Oakland from getting opportunities to cut into the lead.
Memphis led by as many as 11 in the first half, but took just a 33-31 lead into the dressing room. The Grizzlies closed the half with an 8-2 run in the final two minutes to cut the Tiger lead.
Memphis shot 52 percent and forced Oakland into 11 turnovers, but still could not pull away from the Grizzlies. Banks led the Tigers with 12 points.
The difference was Oakland's 5-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc in the first half, while Memphis missed all three of its long-range shots.
