University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
10-3
Houston Baptist
1-12
Tigers Bury Huskies, 93-52
Jan 03, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2010
Final Stats |
Quotes |
Notes |
Photo Gallery 
MEMPHIS, Tenn.--After losing a hard fought game against Tennessee on Friday, the University of Memphis Tigers (10-3) bounced back to trounce the Houston Baptist Huskies (1-12), 93-52, Sunday afternoon at FedExForum. Five Tigers scored in double figures for just the second time this season.
Roburt Sallie, who has struggled to find his touch all season, knocked down a season high four trifectas on his way to leading all scorers with 20 points.
Elliot Williams scored 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting to along with eight assists and four rebounds in 30 minutes. Williams was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Wesley Witherspoon notched 13 points in just 19 minutes. Witherspoon has now scored in double figures in five straight contests and six of the last seven.
Willie Kemp netted 11 points in his most efficient game of the season. The senior connected on a trio of three point baskets and was 4-of-6 from the field.
Pierre Henderson-Niles had another solid game for the Tigers. The senior scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with three blocks, three rebounds and a career high three steals.
Memphis led from the opening tip when Henderson-Niles stole the ball and took it coast to coast for a breakaway jam. Houston Baptist kept it close, however, and trailed just 19-17 at the 10:44 mark.
The Tigers then went on an 18-2 run to extend its lead to 37-19 with 4:36 left in the half and effectively put the game out of reach. Kemp's last second three-point bucket made it 52-25 going into the half.
Memphis came out firing in the second half, with Sallie and Kemp knocking down back-to-back three pointers to extend the lead to 58-25 just one minute into the half. The Tigers would extend their lead to as many 47 when a slam by Witherspoon made it 90-43 at the 4:32 mark.
The Huskies were led by Andrew Gonzales who scored 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Mario Flaherty scored nine points and added six rebounds.
Memphis' 52 first half points are the most the Tigers have scored since dropping 53 in the first half against Maryland on March 21, 2009 in the second round of the 2009 NCAA tournament.
The Tigers blocked 14 shots on Sunday afternoon, tying the mark for the second-best all-time in Memphis men's basketball history. Memphis last blocked 14 shots against Marist on Dec. 2, 2008. They have done it on two other previous occasions
Memphis dominated the game defensively in all aspects, limiting Houston Baptist to just 33 percent shooting and forcing 26 turnovers. The Tigers converted those turnovers into 51 points.
Memphis also had a season high for field goal attempts (78), making 34 of them to shoot 43.6 percent for the contest. The Tigers also shot a respectable 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
The Tigers will next face Syracuse. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. tip in Syracuse, New York.
