University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
14-9, 6-4
Temple
17-7, 8-3
Memphis Struggles in Second Half, Falls to Temple, 61-60
Feb 07, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Shaq Goodwin pulled down a career-high 23 rebounds, but Memphis was unable to take advantage of a 10-point halftime lead and fell to Temple 61-60. The Tigers fell to 14-9 overall and 6-4 in The American, while the Owls improved to 17-7 overall and 7-3 in the league.
Austin Nichols finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Memphis, and Kedren Johnson added 11 points. Nichols scored his 17 points before leaving the game with a sprained ankle with 7:10 left in the contest. He did not return.
Jesse Morgan scored 16 points, and Josh Brown hit the game-winning jumper with 2.4 seconds left for Temple.
Goodwin's 23 rebounds are the most by a Tiger in a single game since the 1973-74 season when John Washington grabbed 24 boards in a Tigers' win over Samford Dec. 12, 1973. Nichols' six blocks gave him 77 for the season, which is eighth-most for a season in school history.
Goodwin capped Memphis' opening 15-6 run with a jumper and the Tigers dominated the boards 29-14 in the first half, with Goodwin grabbing 17 rebounds. Nichols scored 15, and Memphis led 38-28 at halftime.
Temple rallied with a 10-2 second-half run and twice pulled within one point, the last at 47-46 with 11:12 on the clock.
Over the next three minutes, Memphis extended the lead to 52-48 with 7:52 left when a major injury hit the Tigers. Nichols grabbed a rebound off a Temple miss, but in coming down with the ball, the 6-foot-9 forward twisted his ankle and was fouled. Nichols, the No. 5 shot-blocker in NCAA Division I basketball, laid on the court for five minutes before he was helped to the locker room. Burrell was picked to shoot Nichols' free throws, and he hit both to give Memphis a 54-48 advantage with 7:10 on the clock.
From there, Temple went on an 8-0 run to take a 56-54 lead with 4:24 remaining. Morgan tied it 54-all with a layup at 5:16, and Temple grabbed a 56-54 lead on Jaylen Bond's two free throws with 4:24 left.
The game was tied at 56-all and 58-all, setting up the exciting final minute of play.
Will Cummings hit 1-of-2 free throws with :35 left to give the Owls a 59-58 lead, but the Tigers responded. Johnson put Memphis up 60-59 on a layup with 7.6 seconds left. The Owls, however, had one final chance, and they made the most of it when Brown hit a jumper -- his only bucket of the game -- with 2.4 seconds left.
Memphis shot 38% from the field while holding Temple to just 33%. The Tigers ended the game with a 45-36 advantage in rebounding.
The Tigers look to bounce back when travel to East Carolina on Tuesday.
