University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
#20 Louisville
No. 16 Tigers Stopped By No. 20 Cardinals
Mar 14, 2003 | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2003
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville freshman Taquan Dean's only field goal Friday night was the biggest one of the game.
The 6-foot-3 guard rattled in a 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds left that gave the Cardinals the lead for good in a 78-75 win over 16th-ranked Memphis in the Conference USA tournament semifinals.
Dean, who had an earlier free throw, finished 1-for-8 from the field.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino kept encouraging Dean throughout the game, despite his shooting woes.
"I hit that shot for Coach," said Dean. "He gives me the confidence. Even though I was 1-for-8, I knew I still had one in me. If it was an open shot, he told me to shoot it. So, I shot it."
Dean's shot from the wing over Rodney Carney gave the 20th-ranked Cardinals (23-6) a 76-75 lead. Memphis guard Billy Richmond missed a one-handed baseline shot at the other end and Louisville's Luke Whitehead rebounded and was fouled.
Whitehead sank two free throws with 4.3 seconds left. The 6-foot-7 junior finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, his third straight double-double.
Whitehead's rebounding has been crucial since the loss of leading rebounder Ellis Myles to a knee injury on Feb. 27.
"I told Luke, 'If you don't rebound the ball, you can't play for us at Louisville,"' Pitino said. "That was three games ago, and since then, he's been a rebounding demon."
The Tigers called timeout after Whitehead's free throws. Memphis point guard Antonio Burks missed a 3-point attempt off the back of the rim as time expired. The loss snapped the Tigers' 12-game winning streak.
John Grice went 6-for-10 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 29 to lead Memphis (23-6). Chris Massie, the Tigers' 6-foot-10 center who was averaging 17.6 points, went scoreless for the first time this season against constant double-teams.
The Tigers shot 35 percent (18-of-51) from the field and were outrebounded 44-37.
"We played great low-post defense. It was a team effort defensively," Pitino said. "All five guys were part of a string moving together."
Francisco Garcia and Marvin Stone had 15 points apiece for Louisville, which advanced to the tournament championship for the second time. The Cardinals will play the winner of the other semifinal between Alabama-Birmingham and Saint Louis in Saturday's title game.
Earlier Friday, the school cleared the 6-foot-10 Stone to play as the NCAA continues investigating whether he accepted illegal benefits earlier in his career.
Stone had missed three of Louisville's last four games, but started against the Tigers.
"Right before the game, Coach Pitino came and talked to me," said Stone, who also had six rebounds. "He told me to let the game come to me. He said, 'If you play defense and rebound, we'll be OK. We're going to win."'
The Cardinals led by nine at halftime, but Grice sank three 3-pointers in the first nine minutes of the second half as Memphis chipped away at the lead.
Many of Grice's 3-pointers came from several feet behind the line.
"He was shooting them from way out there," said Whitehead, who guarded Grice much of the game. "Some of the shots he was taking, I was right in his face. Coach Pitino told me not to worry about it - that it was good defense."
Louisville led 65-63 when leading scorer Reece Gaines fouled out with 4:13 left. Gaines finished with 10 points.
Burks gave Memphis its first lead of the second half, at 71-70, with a midcourt steal and layup with 1:29 to go.
Grice sank two free throws with 32.7 seconds left to put Memphis up 74-71. Garcia answered with two free throws nine seconds later.
Burks made a free throw, but missed the second and Louisville moved the ball to Dean on the right wing for the go-ahead shot.
"They made an unbelievable shot," Calipari said. "That had to be a fun game to watch. That certainly was not fun to be on the end we're on."
The teams traded the lead seven times in the opening 11 minutes before Garcia carried the Cardinals through a 16-0 run.
Gaines went to the bench with two fouls just before the spurt started, but Garcia scored on two drives and a 3-pointer in a one-minute span.
The Cardinals held the Tigers without a point for five minutes, forcing four turnovers. Stone helped the Cardinals shut down Massie, who averaged 17.6 points during the Conference USA season.
The Tigers finished the half with a 9-2 spurt, holding Louisville without a field goal for the final four minutes.
