Tigers return from break to play UNO

Tyler Harris and the Tigers return from holiday break to play New Orleans at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Dec 27, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Notes (vs. New Orleans)New Orleans Notes (vs. Memphis)

Ninth-ranked UofM has won eight straight games

By: Phil Stukenborg

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Refreshed from a holiday break, the University of Memphis men's basketball team returns to the court at 12:30 p.m. Saturday for a battle with the University of New Orleans.

The Tigers, ranked ninth nationally, have won eight straight games since dropping a mid-November decision to Oregon in the Phil Knight Invitational at the Moda Center in Portland. The UofM's 10-1 start is its best since opening 11-0 during the 2017-08 season.

In their last game before the break, the Tigers defeated Jackson State, 77-47, at FedExForum behind 56 percent shooting, decisive rebounding (43-30 advantage) and impressive defense. The UofM limited JSU to 32 percent shooting, including 28 percent in the second half.

The Tigers were led by freshman forward Precious Achiuwa, who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Achiuwa narrowly missed his seventh-straight game posting double-digit rebound totals. He leads the American Athletic Conference with a 9.8 average.

D.J. Jeffries, a freshman forward from Olive Branch, Miss., added 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Tyler Harris added eight points.

During the eight-game winning streak, the Tigers have been shutting down the opposition. They have held six of the eight opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. Four have shot 35 percent or less.

Senior Isaiah Maurice, who moved into the starting lineup when James Wiseman was sidelined by a NCAA ruling, had four blocks against Jackson State to tie a single-game career-high. Wiseman has since announced he is withdrawing from school to prepare for the NBA Draft.

Assisting the Tigers Saturday will be the return of 6-foot-5 freshman guard Lester Quinones. Quinones has been out since breaking two bones in his right (shooting) hand Nov. 23 against Ole Miss, but UofM coach Penny Hardaway said at Friday's media availability that Quinones will play, although likely not start.

"Getting Lester back gives us another hard worker," Hardaway said. "And it gives us another physical presence. He is very physical and he plays the game really hard."

New Orleans (4-7) is led by 6-foot-4 senior Bryson Robinson. Robinson is averaging 16 points per game and has scored in double figures in all 11 contests, including a season-high 24 points last weekend against Sam Houston State.

The game against New Orleans is the UofM's next-to-last against non-conference opposition. The Tigers open AAC play at 8 p.m. Monday against Tulane before playing host to Georgia Jan. 4 in the team's final non-conference game of the 2019-20 season.

NOTES

Memphis freshman Malcolm Dandridge played a season-high 19 minutes in last weekend's win over Jackson State. He finished with season-high totals in points (7) and rebounds (5).
New Orleans is shooting 80.3 percent from the free-throw line, the highest percentage in program history. Bryson Robinson is 30-of-30 this season and Troy Green is 32-of-33.
Memphis is ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Tigers are ranked ninth.
New Orleans has played only five of its 11 games this season at home.
Former Tigers basketball player Tim Duncan is the athletics director at New Orleans. Duncan was a member of the 1991-92 Tigers team that featured Penny Hardaway and Tony Madlock. Madlock is currently an assistant under Hardaway at the UofM.