University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
16-7
#17 Gonzaga
19-4
Gonzaga Sneaks by Memphis 66-58
Feb 06, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2010
Final Stats | Notes
Preston McClellan, Undergraduate Assistant
MEMPHIS, Tenn.--Matt Bouldin scored 19 points and Robert Sacre added 13 to lead the Gonzaga Zags (19-4) past the Memphis Tigers 66-58. This is first win in the series for Gonzaga since November 16, 1998.
Welsey Witherspoon had another standout game for the Tigers, scoring a game-high 26 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting. Witherspoon has now tallied double-figures in 11 of the last 16 games.
Elliot Williams was the only other Memphis player to notch double figures, scoring 11 points to go along with five rebounds and six assists.
Memphis sprinted to an early four-point advantage, leading 8-4 at the 16:32 mark. Gonzaga battled back, however, and back-to-back three pointers by Steven Gray and Matt Bouldin gave the Zags a 19-17 lead.
Gonzaga would extend that lead to 28-20 before Witherspoon banged home a trifecta just before the halftime buzzer to make it 28-23.
After the break, Gonzaga built the lead up to nine when a layup by Steven Gray gave the Zags a 49-40 advantage with 9:01 remaining. The Tigers then battled back and took the lead 53-51 after a putback layup by Willie Kemp at the 4:48 mark.
The Tigers would score just seven more points for the rest of the game and struggled from the charity stripe, going 1-of-4 from the line in the last five minutes.
Memphis struggled all game from the line, connecting on only 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) attempts. The Tigers made 19-of-48 (39.6 percent) from the field, including 6-of-21(28.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
Gonzaga is only the fifth opponent this season to hold Memphis under 30 points in the first half, limiting the Tigers to just 23 first-half points.
Angel Garcia made his first appearance as a Memphis Tiger on Saturday. The sophomore was expected to miss the 2009-10 season due to an ACL tear suffered prior to the start of the season but made a quick recovery. Garcia had to sit out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA Clearinghouse issues.
Memphis will return to the hardwood when they take on UCF February 10th at FedExForum. The game, which is scheduled to be aired on CSS, is slated for a 6 p.m. tip.
