Tigers Earn Victory in Conference Opener

Wednesday, December 31

Memphis, Tenn.

1 PM

University of Memphis

8-4, 1-0

Houston

7-5, 0-1

Houston

Memphis

Dec 31, 2014 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Dec. 31, 2014

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Tigers used lockdown defense to turn what was a close game into a 73-54 win to open American Athletic Conference play against the University of Houston on Wednesday afternoon at FedExForum.

With the win, Memphis closed out the 2014 portion of the schedule at 8-4, 1-0 AAC, while the Cougars dropped to 7-5, 0-1 AAC.

The Tigers held the Cougars to 18.8 percent from the field in the second half, including 0-8 from beyond the arc. The UofM shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent (3-6) from three-point range in the final 20 minutes.

Austin Nichols picked up his second double-double of the season with 15 points, including a couple of dunks, and 11 rebounds. Avery Woodson led all scorers with 23. He was 6-10 from beyond the arc. Eight Tigers got on the score sheet, three of them finishing in double figures. Pookie Powell led all players with six assists, a third of the Tigers 18 as a team.

It was a back and forth affair in the first half as the Cougars came out on fire with an 8-0 run to open the game before coach Josh Pastner called a timeout. During the timeout he made some lineup changes, including bringing in D’Marnie Cunningham, who on the next possession dropped in a layup to give Memphis its first points.

The Tigers would battle back and tie it at 13 with a Markel Crawford three pointer with 12:44 remaining in the half. Houston answered with a couple of quick buckets of its own before Memphis found itself fighting back to tie the game at 21 with an Nichols and-1. The trend continued, with Houston taking a lead before Memphis fought back to tie it until finally a three pointer from Woodson, followed by a jumper from Trahson Burrell gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 31-29 with a little under three minutes to play in the first half.

Memphis biggest lead of the half was four, but a Devonta Pollard jumper with five seconds remaining made it 37-35 in favor of Blue and Gray as the teams entered the locker rooms for the break.

Both teams shot the ball well from the field in the first 20 minutes. The Tigers shot 48.4 percent (15-31), and 40 percent (4-10) from beyond the arc. The Cougars shot 43.8 percent (14-32) from the field and 45.5 percent (5-11) from deep. However, those were the only three pointers the Cougars would hit.

The Tigers came out in the second half and flipped the script from the first half. Woodson earned a layup and a foul after a few missed shots from both sides. It was the beginning of an 18-1 run that would blow the game wide open. During the run, the Tigers did a great job of getting to the rim, hitting five layups and going to the line a couple of times. Woodson added a three pointer to the mix.

By the time Houston made its first field goal of the second half, Memphis led 55-38 and there was 12:36 remaining. Memphis continued its defensive approach, not allowing Houston to get closer than 15 for the remainder of the game. Another Woodson three with 4:51 remaining made it 68-48. Next possession he knocked one down from deep yet again, giving Memphis its largest lead at 23.

Calvin Godfrey had the last Tiger field goal as he hit a jumper off of a Powell assist to make it 73-50 with 2:40 remaining. The Cougars made a pair of shots near the end, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers picked up its fifth-straight victory.

One of the keys to the Tigers defense was rim protection, as the Tigers blocked nine of Houston’s shots. Austin Nichols had another multi-block game as he led everyone with four. The Cougars didn’t block any of the Tigers attempts. Memphis also stole the ball 10 times and turned the Cougars over 16 times, which resulted in 19 points. Memphis added 18 fast break points.

The Tigers held a 42-20 advantage in the paint, while the bench helped out with 17 points, eight more than the Cougars.

Memphis returns to action on Saturday as Tulane comes to town for the final game of Memphis nine-game home stand. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. at FedExForum on ESPNU.