University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
5-4
USC Upstate
8-4
Three Ball Carries Memphis to Victory
Dec 17, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Joe Murphy Photo Gallery 
| USATSI Gallery
BOX SCORE (PDF) 
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Tigers set a season high for three pointers as they outlasted USC Upstate 83-73 at FedExForum on Wednesday night.
The UofM got its first back-to-back victories of the season as the Tigers moved to 5-4, while the Spartans dropped to 8-4.
Memphis knocked down 11 of its 21 attempts from beyond the arc, shooting above 50 percent from deep for the first time this season. The Tigers were averaging 4.1 three pointers per game and were averaging 30.6 percent.
Trahson Burrell, Pookie Powell and Avery Woodson set career highs in points with 17, 16 and 16 respectively. Burrell also recorded his first double-double as he pulled down a game-high 12.
Austin Nichols and Nick King also finished in double digits with 12 and 10 respectively. Shaq Goodwin and Chris Hawkins were the other two Tigers to score.
USC Upstate's Ty Greene led all scorers with 25, while Fred Miller, Damian Goodwin and Michael Buchanan scored in the double-digits as well.
Woodson got the three pointer barrage going 13 seconds in as he pulled up and knocked one down on the first possession. After an Nichols jumper pushed it to 5-0 before SC Upstate got on the board. The Spartans would knock down a few threes of their own to take a 13-8 lead with 15:02 to go in the first, forcing coach Josh Pastner to call a timeout.
USC Upstate continued its hot shooting, expanding its lead to 18-10 at the under-12 minutes media timeout. A pair of layups from Nichols and King, as well as a Burrell free throw got the Tigers within six at 21-15. That was followed by back-to-back three points from Woodson to tie the game.
Next time down the court Woodson was fouled on a three-point attempt. He knocked down all three to give the Tigers back the advantage. He then stole the ball, which led to a Powell three. All of a sudden Memphis had the momentum and the lead 27-21 with 8:09 remaining in the half.
Woodson scored all 16 of his points in the first half, as foul trouble limited him to 21 for the game.
Memphis was 7-of-14 from three-point range in the first half, which helped them take a 42-29 advantage into the locker room. The Tigers shot a warm 43.3 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, while holding USC Upstate to 33.3.
The teams traded baskets for most of the first seven minutes of the second half before the Spartans used some costly Tigers turnovers to get within two with 11 minutes to go. After a quick timeout, a pair of dunks and then a pair of Powell three pointers go the Tigers some breathing room at 61-71.
Next possession Hawkins extended the lead by knocking down his one long-range attempt to make it 74-62, which would be the score at the next media timeout with less than eight minutes to go. From there the Tigers were able to keep the Spartans at an arm’s length as they sealed the victory.
Both teams shot the ball extremely well in the second half. Memphis was 16-27 for 59.3 percent, while USC Upstate was 18-34 for 52.9 percent. Memphis shot 50.9 percent on the evening, its second-straight game to finish above 50 percent from the field.
For only the second time this season the Tiger bench was outscored as USCU held a 26-17 advantage. In the paint the Spartans owned a 40-32 advantage.
USCU forced the Tigers into 19 turnovers, which they turned into 20 points, while Memphis turned 13 turnovers into 15 points.
Memphis out-rebounded its opponents for the fourth-straight game, pulling down 37 rebounds to the opponents 30, which resulted in a 15-4 difference on second-chance points.
The Tigers are in action again on Saturday as they host Oral Roberts University at FedExForum for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
