Tigers to Host Manhattan in Post-Finals Battle

Saturday, December 12

Memphis, Tenn.

7 pm CT

University of Memphis

Manhattan

Tickets

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Dec 11, 2015 | Men's Basketball

By: Bill Salyer


Memphis Tigers (5-2)	Game Information	Manhattan Jaspers (1-6)
Game Notes (.pdf)	TV: ESPN3	Game Notes (.pdf)
Schedule	Greg Gaston (pxp) Jon Albright (analyst)	Schedule
Roster	Radio: 600 AM WREC	Roster
Media Guide	Dave Woloshin (pxp) Matt Dillon (analyst)	Media Guide
	Live Stats: StatBroadcast

SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Tigers come into their post-finals week game looking to run their win streak to four games in the fourth-ever meeting between the two teams.

In Memphis' last game, an 80-65 win over Southeast Missouri State, the Tigers got a career-high scoring effort from freshman Dedric Lawson, as the Memphis native scored 28 points to go with 14 rebounds. Shaq Goodwin scored 20 points in the win, while Ricky Tarrant Jr. had a 15-point, 10-assist double-double, the first of his career.

Dedric Lawson leads the team with a 15.9 point per game scoring average, as Goodwin is averaging 14.1 and Tarrant Jr. 13.6. Two others - Avery Woodson (9.7) and Trahson Burrell (9.2) are just off of the double-figure scoring pace for the season. Lawson leads the team with 63 rebounds (9.0 per game), while Goodwin has 60 boards for th eseason (8.6 per contest). Tarrant Jr. has the team lead with 28 assists and 12 teals, as Goodwin has blocked a team-best 16 shot attempts.

SCOUTING THE JASPERS
Manhattan comes into the Saturday evening meeting with the Tigers following a hard-fought 72-71 loss to Columbia in which the Jaspers held a four-point lead with 30 seconds to play in the game.

Zane Waterman scored a team-high 22 points against Columbia, while Rich Williams had a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double off of the bench. Shane Richards added 12 points, as RaShawn Stores and Tyler Wilson each dished out four assists.

For the season the team has two players - Richards and Williams - that average over 17 points per game. Richards pours in a scoring average of 17.6, while Williams is just behind at 17.3 Waterman's scoring average has climbed to 10.6 following his outburst against Columbia, with Stores sitting fourth on the team with a 7.3 point per game average.

Williams and Waterman average 6.4 and 6.3 rebounds per game, each, while Wilson has nearly half of the team's 91 assists on the season (44). Thomas Capuano leads the team with 13 steals, as Williams has a team-best six blocked shots.

CLIMBING INTO THE POINT CLUB
Against Ohio State on November 27, Memphis senior forward Shaq Goodwin became the 50th member of the program's 1,000-point club with an ally-oop dunk with eight minutes remaining in the first half. He now has 1,055 career points, which puts him 42nd in the school record book. Below is where Goodwin stands, and the two former standouts ahead of, and behind him in the record book.

MAKING A HOME AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
This season, the Memphis Tigers have made a point of taking the ball to the basket, and as such, have went to the free throw line 221 times with 155 makes (the latter of the two numbers ranks 39th in the country). That mark also moves the needle in a big category, as 28.3 percent of Memphis' points come from the free throw line this season, fifth-highest such total in the country. A season ago the Tigers made just 385 total free throws, tied for 286th, while their 17.9 percent of points ranked 310 of 351 schools. The point distribution is on pace to shatter the best finish by the Tigers in the category since 2003, as the next best total is the 23.7 percent of points coming from free throws from the 2004-05, which ranked 24th.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
This season, the University of Memphis has recorded assists on 62.4 percent of its baskets, the 30th highest total in the country. Since Josh Pastner's first season as head coach in the Bluff City (2009-10), the Tigers have ranked in the top 90 in the category five times, and inside of the top 30 three times, including a 2013-14 total of 61.1 percent of baskets that ranked 17th overall. The current average is the program's highest since the 2002-03 team had an assist on 62.6 percent of its baskets - which ended the season 30th in NCAA Division I. Additionally, the 2012-13 and 2013-14 teams ranked inside of the top five nationally in assists per game and total assists, finishing third in total assists for 2012-13 and fourth in assists per game in 2013-14.

GOOD WORKER
University of Memphis senior forward Shaq Goodwin has been named as a nominee for the Allstate National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Good Works Team. The distinguished award shines a spotlight on a select group of student-athletes who have shown dedication to service in their communities. In its fourth year, the Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® recognize players at all levels of college basketball who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. From establishing nonprofits that provide youth with the necessary tools to become leaders of tomorrow, to raising awareness around pertinent issues that could save lives, these student-athletes exhibit impeccable leadership skills both on and off the court.

CBS ACCOLADES FOR DEDRIC LAWSON
On back-to-back days in the middle of the week, Memphis freshman Dedric Lawson was named to two prestigious lists. On Tuesday, December 8, he was listed as one of the top five freshmen in the country, and a day later was named as the 63rd best player in the country in the monthly CBSsports.com list.