Tigers Pull Out Gutsy Win At SMU Wednesday

Wednesday, February 14

Dallas, Texas

8 PM

University of Memphis

15-11, 6-7AAC

SMU

15-11, 5-8AAC

MEMPHIS

SMU

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Feb 14, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Memphis-SMU Boxscore Memphis Season Statistics (Overall/Conference Only)

Parks Jr. leads five players in double figures with 17 points.

By: Phil Stukenborg

DALLAS – Playing without the American Athletic Conference's leading scorer, Jeremiah Martin, only served as inspiration for the University of Memphis.

Martin, averaging 19.2 points per game, sat out with a hip injury and watched his teammates battle SMU from the bench in street clothes. Martin was injured late in the second half of Sunday's home loss to UCF.

The Tigers, however, overcame Martin's absence by shooting 76.2 percent in the second half and handing out 20 assists to beat SMU, 70-67, Wednesday night at Moody Coliseum.

Mike Parks Jr. scored 17 points and Kareem Brewton Jr., filling in for Martin at point guard, added 16 points and six assists to lead the Tigers (15-11, 6-7 American) to their third league road win. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak.

In addition to the contributions of Parks and Brewton, Raynere Thornton narrowly missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Kyvon Davenport scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting that included a driving dunk in the second half worthy of play-of-the-year consideration.

"Without Jeremiah Martin, that was a heck of an effort," Tigers head coach Tubby Smith said. "And any win on the road is a good win."

The Tigers made 16 of their 21 shot attempts in the second half, including six of nine 3-pointers. Jamal Johnson had three of the long-range shots and finished with 10 points. He also had six rebounds.

In the frantic final minutes, SMU hit three of its 14 3-pointers to make one final run. Trailing 61-52 with five minutes left, the Mustangs (15-11, 5-8 American) rallied. After a Ben Emelogu 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, Memphis led by only two (67-65).

Davenport followed with a driving layup with 11 seconds left -- a shot that had to be confirmed by officials it beat an expiring shot clock -- and Johnson added a free throw with 3.6 seconds to go to seal the win.

SMU played without Shake Milton, but got a career-high 33 points -- and a school-record nine 3-pointers -- from Jahmal McMurray.

Milton, the league's second-leading scorer at 18 points per game, missed his fourth-straight game with a right hand injury.

Ahead by nine at the half, the Tigers built an early 10-point lead (35-25) before SMU rallied to tie the game at 38 after a barrage of 3-pointers.

Without the league's top two scorers, each team struggled in the opening half. Memphis shot 33 percent and SMU 25 percent, but the Tigers grabbed a 29-20 lead behind Parks, who scored 13 in the first half.

The Tigers gradually moved ahead in the closing minutes of the opening half as SMU missed 17 of its final 18 shots, including a desperation 3-pointer from halfcourt at the buzzer.

Memphis continues its two-game road swing with a trip to Tulane Saturday. The American Athletic Conference game tips off at 2 p.m. (CT) and will be carried by ESPNU.

NOTABLES

Kareem Brewton Jr. made his first start since Dec. 5 in place of the injured Jeremiah Martin, who missed the game with a hip injury. Brewton started the first seven games of the season and averaged 7.3 points in that stretch.
SMU's roster included two Memphians: Luke Wilfong, a freshman from Memphis University School, and William Douglas, a freshman from Christian Brothers High. Douglas started in place of Shake Milton, who was out with a right hand injury.
SMU beat Memphis, 103-62, in the last meeting between the two programs last March. SMU was ranked 14^th and the win allowed them to clinch the league title.
SMU ranked 25^th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (39.4) entering the game.
Memphis held SMU to 20 points, the third-lowest total by a Tigers' opponent in an opening half this season. New Orleans (16) and UConn (18) scored fewer first-half points versus the Tigers.
With Wednesday's win, Memphis now has a 16-6 record when playing on Valentine's Day since World War II, including a current streak of six-straight victories when playing on Feb. 14 dating back to 2003-04.