Long-range shooting carries LSU past Memphis

Thursday, December 28

Memphis, Tenn.

8 PM

University of Memphis

9-4

LSU

9-3

LSU

Memphis

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Dec 28, 2017 | Men's Basketball

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By: Phil Stukenborg

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – When Jeremiah Martin sprinted in for a layup midway through the first half to give the University of Memphis a four-point lead, the crowd at FedExForum sensed something special.

Coach Tubby Smith's second U of M team, stocked with eight scholarship newcomers, had momentum, generated by a mix of accurate outside shooting, aggressive drives to the basket and a flurry of defensive deflections.

Unfortunately for Memphis, it couldn't sustain the success as LSU gradually recovered en route to a 71-61 victory before 9,468. Kyvon Davenport led the U of M with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while guard Jeremiah Martin added 13 points, six assists and three steals.

But LSU (9-3) connected on 13 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from long range and 46.3 percent overall to pull away in the second half. The U of M suffered its first loss at FedExForum after starting 9-0.

Memphis (9-4) struggled in the second half, shooting 28.6 percent (8-of-28), including 1-of-13 from beyond the arc. Three LSU players had three or more 3-pointers, led by Skylar Mays who went 4-of-7. Guard Tremont Waters led LSU with 18 points and eight assists and was 3-of-6 from long range. Mays finished 14 points.

"Guarding the 3s, that's something we haven't done well all year," Smith said. "We're working hard to try and change that."

Memphis also was hampered by nine second-half turnovers. The U of M gave up 22 points on its 16 overall turnovers.

"They were capitalizing on the turnovers," Martin said. "We've got to figure out what went wrong and go forward from here."

LSU opened the second half on a 14-7 run, powered by three deep 3-pointers from Mays. Mays hit back-to-back 3s for a 48-43 advantage and Brandon Sampson added a reverse layup for a 50-43 lead, forcing a Memphis timeout with 13:51 to go.

The U of M never got closer than six points the rest of the game.

"They did a good job," Smith said. "I've got to commend LSU. We played probably our best half of the year, that first half.

"It is what it is. It was an opportunity for us to make a statement (but) we didn't."

Memphis and LSU were tied at 36 at the half and the U of M trailed only briefly – at 34-33 and 36-34 – in the first 20 minutes.

Behind Davenport, who had 12 first-half points, and Martin, who had six first-half assists, Memphis built a seven-point lead (33-26). But the U of M couldn't maintain its lead as LSU was successful from long range connecting on 7 of 14 3-pointers. The U of M enjoyed a 21-14 advantage on the boards in the first half against one of the nation's better rebounding teams.

Although LSU took its largest lead (36-34) in the closing seconds of the opening half, Memphis tied the game at the buzzer on a lay-in by Jimario Rivers, playing in his first game since suffering a concussion Dec. 16 against Louisville in New York.

The U of M played without freshman David Nickelberry, who sat out because of flu-related symptoms. Nickelberry was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on Tuesday for his play in wins last week over Siena and Loyola (Md.).

Memphis completed the non-conference portion of its schedule with the LSU game and will begin American Athletic Conference play Sunday at Cincinnati. The game will be held at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights Kentucky. UC's on-campus facility, Fifth Third Arena, is undergoing renovation.