After lengthy break, Tigers are home

Saturday, December 21

Memphis, Tenn.

12 PM

University of Memphis

Jackson State

Tickets

Precious Achiuwa (55) has had double-figure rebound totals in six straight games.

Dec 20, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Notes (vs. Jackson State)

UofM to host Jackson State at noon Saturday at FedExForum

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – One week after an impressive come-from-behind victory at nationally ranked Tennessee, the 11^th-ranked University of Memphis Tigers return to a familiar place they haven't seen much lately: FedExForum.

The Tigers (9-1), winners of seven straight, will play only their second home game since Nov. 23 -- a span of 28 days -- when they face Jackson State at noon Saturday. Memphis beat Bradley, 71-56, on Dec. 3 in its only other game at FedExForum during the nearly month-long stretch.

The UofM enters the game with momentum. During the seven-game winning streak, the Tigers have defeated Ole Miss at FedExForum, NC State in Brooklyn in a Barclays Center Classic game, and then-19^th-ranked Tennessee last weekend before more than 21,000 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Leading the Tigers has been the combination of freshman forward Precious Achiuwa and sophomore guard Alex Lomax, and several others, including freshman guard Damion Baugh and sophomore Tyler Harris.

Achiuwa has posted double-digit rebounding totals in the past six games and leads the American Athletic Conference with a 9.9 rebounds-per-game average. Lomax has been productive off the bench. He is among the AAC leaders in assists per game and is averaging 10 points in the past five games.

In the UofM's 51-47 victory at Tennessee, the Tigers overcame a 12-point first-half deficit, taking the lead at the break on a layup by Tyler Harris. Achiuwa and Lomax were instrumental in Memphis holding on in the second half. Achiuwa finished with 13 rebounds and Lomax contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

Freshman guard Damion Baugh also played a key role. He stole a rebound under the Memphis basket from a Vols' player and layed it in for a 44-43 lead with just fewer than four minutes left. Two minutes later, he gave the Tigers the lead again with a 3-pointer. Harris had three huge 3-pointers and the go-ahead layup as the first-half ended.

Memphis also was strong defensively at Tennessee. The Tigers limited the Vols to 20 percent shooting in the first half and 25 percent for the game. The UofM outrebounded Tennessee, 49-39.

Jackson State will be playing its second road game in as many days, traveling to Memphis after a late-Thursday night game at the University of Portland. JSU defeated Portland, 73-63, for its second straight win.

In those back-to-back wins, Jarrett, a 6-foot-4 guard from Brownsville, Tenn., is averaging 34.5 points.

NOTABLE

The Tigers will be playing their first game since news broke Thursday 7-foot-1 freshman center James Wiseman will not return to school when the spring semester begins. Wiseman withdrew from school Thursday to prepare for the NBA Draft. He would have been eligible to return to the team Jan. 12 after serving a 12-game NCAA suspension.
Lester Quinones, out since breaking two bones in his (right) shooting hand against Ole Miss Nov. 23, resumed practicing with the team this week. Quinones is averaging 10.3 points and 3.5 rebounds. He also is averaging 24.6 minutes, third-best on the team.
Jackson State's Tristan Jarrett scored a career-high 38 points in a victory at home Monday against Southeastern Baptist College. He made 14-of-24 field goals, including four 3-pointers. He followed that performance with a 31-point effort against Portland Thursday night.
The Tigers are 6-0 at home this season and 22-2 at FedExForum in two seasons under coach Penny Hardaway.