University of Memphis Athletics
Tuesday, November 5
Memphis, Tenn.
7 PM
University of Memphis
1-0,0-0AAC
97
vs
64
South Carolina State
0-1,0-0MEAC
1
2
F
South Carolina St.
32
32
64
Memphis
50
47
97
James Wiseman (32) made an impressive debut Tuesday night with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Wiseman's 28 points, 11 rebounds lead Tigers
Nov 05, 2019 | Men's Basketball
UofM beats South Carolina State, 97-64, in debut of several highly regarded freshmen
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The debut of University of Memphis freshman All-American James Wiseman was highly anticipated and the 7-foot-1 center didn't disappoint Tuesday night at FedExForum.
Wiseman had 28 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in only 22 minutes to lead the 14th-ranked Tigers past South Carolina State, 97-64, before 16,002. The UofM fan base had been waiting to see Wiseman, who missed a four-game foreign tour of The Bahamas in mid-August and didn't play in two October exhibitions,
From the outset, Wiseman made his presence known on both ends of the court. He had dunks on the team's first two possessions and scored nine of the UofM's11 points during a three minute stretch midway through the half.
Wiseman was a welcome sight for many eyes Tuesday.
"Just the first few plays, you saw it," said Tigers' coach Penny Hardaway. "It was amazing watching him running the floor and (teammates) throwing it toward the rim and him finishing. That's such a huge luxury.
"I had that in the NBA when I was with Shaq. I know how that feels as a guard to put (the basketball) anywhere near the rim and him go get it and you get an assist from it."
With Wiseman in the lineup for the first time, the Tigers had impressive numbers (21 assists on 36 field goals made, 62 percent shooting in the first half, 42 rebounds and 10 blocks). Wiseman made 11 of his 14 shots.
In addition to Wiseman, Precious Achiuwa, the team's other 5-star recruit from the 2019 class, contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, while Damion Baugh, another freshman, had eight assists and eight points. Baugh was one of four Tigers who had eight points, joining Alex Lomax, Boogie Ellis and Lester Quinones. Hardaway's son, Jayden, a redshirt freshman making his debut, scored nine points.
For Lomax, re-uniting with Wiseman, his high school teammate at East, was special, rekindling memories of lopsided wins and alley-oop passes for dunks Lomax won a state title at East with Wiseman in 2018.
"No matter what program James Wiseman plays (for), he'll make that team go from a 1 (rating) to a 10. We follow his lead. James led the way, physically, and we saw that. He made a big difference and cleaned up a lot of things we've been doing bad lately."
Wiseman's 28 points is believed to be the most by a Tiger player making his debut.
"My main priority was to trust my teammates," Wiseman said. "Running the floor is one of my strengths. When I do that, the floor opens tremendously."
Ahead 50-32 at the half, the Tigers extended their lead to 27 points midway through the second half by using an 8-0 run for a 66-39 lead. They gradually built the advantage to 36 points (80-44) after a putback by Achiuwa.
In the closing minutes of the game, Lester Quinones kept the lead in the mid-30s with three straight strong drives to the rim. A Jayden Hardaway 3-pointer from the right corner gave the Tigers a 37-point lead (91-54) with just under four minutes, the UofM's largest lead of the game.
While the second half saw the Tigers enjoy huge leads, the first half was a different story.
It took until eight minutes remained in the opening half, but the Tigers pulled away behind the strength of a 12-0 run. When the run ended following back-to-back layups by Lomax, the UofM had its largest lead of the half: 37-26.
The Tigers eventually built an 18-point lead (50-32 at the half) by ending the half on a 25-6 run.
Wiseman was a presence throughout his time on the court in opening half. In his 15 minutes, he had 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Tigers shot 62.1 percent in the first half and had 13 assists on 18 field goals made. South Carolina was limited to 39.3 percent shooting.
Memphis remains at home to play UIC at 6 p.m. Friday at FedExForum.
Wiseman had 28 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in only 22 minutes to lead the 14th-ranked Tigers past South Carolina State, 97-64, before 16,002. The UofM fan base had been waiting to see Wiseman, who missed a four-game foreign tour of The Bahamas in mid-August and didn't play in two October exhibitions,
From the outset, Wiseman made his presence known on both ends of the court. He had dunks on the team's first two possessions and scored nine of the UofM's11 points during a three minute stretch midway through the half.
Wiseman was a welcome sight for many eyes Tuesday.
"Just the first few plays, you saw it," said Tigers' coach Penny Hardaway. "It was amazing watching him running the floor and (teammates) throwing it toward the rim and him finishing. That's such a huge luxury.
"I had that in the NBA when I was with Shaq. I know how that feels as a guard to put (the basketball) anywhere near the rim and him go get it and you get an assist from it."
With Wiseman in the lineup for the first time, the Tigers had impressive numbers (21 assists on 36 field goals made, 62 percent shooting in the first half, 42 rebounds and 10 blocks). Wiseman made 11 of his 14 shots.
In addition to Wiseman, Precious Achiuwa, the team's other 5-star recruit from the 2019 class, contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, while Damion Baugh, another freshman, had eight assists and eight points. Baugh was one of four Tigers who had eight points, joining Alex Lomax, Boogie Ellis and Lester Quinones. Hardaway's son, Jayden, a redshirt freshman making his debut, scored nine points.
For Lomax, re-uniting with Wiseman, his high school teammate at East, was special, rekindling memories of lopsided wins and alley-oop passes for dunks Lomax won a state title at East with Wiseman in 2018.
"No matter what program James Wiseman plays (for), he'll make that team go from a 1 (rating) to a 10. We follow his lead. James led the way, physically, and we saw that. He made a big difference and cleaned up a lot of things we've been doing bad lately."
Wiseman's 28 points is believed to be the most by a Tiger player making his debut.
"My main priority was to trust my teammates," Wiseman said. "Running the floor is one of my strengths. When I do that, the floor opens tremendously."
Ahead 50-32 at the half, the Tigers extended their lead to 27 points midway through the second half by using an 8-0 run for a 66-39 lead. They gradually built the advantage to 36 points (80-44) after a putback by Achiuwa.
In the closing minutes of the game, Lester Quinones kept the lead in the mid-30s with three straight strong drives to the rim. A Jayden Hardaway 3-pointer from the right corner gave the Tigers a 37-point lead (91-54) with just under four minutes, the UofM's largest lead of the game.
While the second half saw the Tigers enjoy huge leads, the first half was a different story.
It took until eight minutes remained in the opening half, but the Tigers pulled away behind the strength of a 12-0 run. When the run ended following back-to-back layups by Lomax, the UofM had its largest lead of the half: 37-26.
The Tigers eventually built an 18-point lead (50-32 at the half) by ending the half on a 25-6 run.
Wiseman was a presence throughout his time on the court in opening half. In his 15 minutes, he had 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Tigers shot 62.1 percent in the first half and had 13 assists on 18 field goals made. South Carolina was limited to 39.3 percent shooting.
Memphis remains at home to play UIC at 6 p.m. Friday at FedExForum.
Team Stats
SCSt
Mem
FG%
.362
.545
3FG%
.320
.300
FT%
.778
.905
RB
25
42
TO
18
13
STL
2
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
28
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballC
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