Tigers Drop Decision At No. 19 Houston

Sunday, January 6

Houston, Texas

5 PM

University of Memphis

9-6

#19 Houston

15-0

Memphis

Houston

Photo by: Erik Williams

Jan 06, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Boxscore (UH 90, UM 77)Memphis Season Statistics Memphis Season Statistics (Conference Only)

Brewton scores career-high 25 points, hits career-best four 3-pointers.

By: Phil Stukenborg

HOUSTON – Playing the nation's 19^th-ranked team at its newly renovated Fertitta Center was going to be a challenge for the University of Memphis Sunday.

The Cougars had won 27 straight at home and were 14-0 entering the game.

Despite a career-high 25 points from Kareem Brewton and 17 from super sub Kyvon Davenport, the Tigers dropped a 90-77 decision to the Houston Cougars. Memphis saw its four-game win streak snapped in the American Athletic conference loss before a nearly sold-out crowd of 7,000.

Houston (15-0, 2-0 The American) shot 49 percent and out-rebounded the Tigers, 39-32, to avenge a loss to Memphis in FedExForum last season. The Cougars also benefit from a 14-3 advantage in steals.

Armoni Brooks led Houston with 22 points, including six 3-pointers that accounted for 18 of his total. Houston also was limited to only 11 turnovers.

"We just weren't ready to start at the beginning of the game," said Tigers coach Penny Hardaway. "You can't give a team like this any kind of cushion. We weren't able to get the job done that we went into the game to do."

Although they struggled at times in the first half, the Tigers (9-6, 1-1 The American) made a few runs.

Davenport started the second half and, as he has done all season, he provided a needed offensive spark to start from outset. With Memphis trailing by 14 (50-36), Davenport scored eight straight in a variety of ways, driving for a left-handed layup, following with a 3-pointer from the left wing and converting a strong drive to the rim into a conventional three-point play to make it 50-46.

Every time the Tigers made a run, Houston answered. The Cougars were up, 62-51, with about 13 minutes left when the Tigers made one, final run. Memphis trimmed the Houston lead to 62-55 following two baskets from Brewton, but Houston went on a 12-0 run that feature 3-pointers from Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis Jr., to put the game out of reach.

In the first half, neither team shot particularly well. The Tigers shot 41.7 percent and the Cougars shot 40.5 percent, a strong finish considering Houston opened the game by missing 12 of their first 17 shots.

After Jeremiah Martin dropped in a acrobatic bank shot as the shot clock expired to start the game, the Tigers never led again. Houston built its advantage of 12 points on several occasions, the last coming at 38-26 on a Cougars' 3-pointer from the corner in the final five minutes of the half.

Martin finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Senior guards Martin and Brewton had 11 points each at the half. Hinton led Houston with 10.

Memphis resumes league play Thursday at home against ECU, which posted an upset of Cincinnati Saturday in Greenville, N.C. Game time for the Tigers-Pirates' match-up is 8 p.m. at FedExForum.

NOTABLES

Houston extended its winning streak at home to 28 games, a streak that began during the 2016-17 season
The Tigers were playing their first true road game in 51 days when they traveled to Baton Rouge, La., to meet LSU.
Memphis entered the game averaging a league-leading 85.1 points per game.
Houston entered the game allowing a league-low 57.9 points per game.