No. 21 Tigers rally to upend USF, 68-64

Sunday, January 12

Tampa, Fla.

3 PM

University of Memphis

13-3,2-1AAC

USF

8-9,1-3AAC

Memphis

South Fla.

Tyler Harris scored 17 points against USF.

Photo by: Stacy White

Jan 12, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook (UM 68, USF 64)Memphis Season Statistics

Achiuwa and Harris carry UofM to second-half comeback from 14 points down

By: Phil Stukenborg

TAMPA, Fla. – Using another clutch performance from freshman forward Precious Achiuwa and key contributions from sophomore guard Tyler Harris, the University of Memphis snapped a two-game losing streak with a 68-64 come-from-way-behind American Athletic Conference victory Sunday over USF at the Yuengling Center.

Achiuwa finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds – his fifth straight double-double and ninth this season – and tied a career-high with five blocked shots. Harris added 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Lester Quinones scored 13.

The Memphis comeback was impressive. The Tigers (13-3, 2-1 AAC) trailed by 14 midway through the second half against a USF team that beat UConn last week and narrowly lost to Utah State and Florida State last month.

The Tigers' first lead of the second half didn't come until 3:01 to go when Achiuwa scored on a give-and-go from Harris and converted the and-one for a 61-60 lead. Memphis never trailed again. Harris had tied the game at 58-all minutes earlier by converting two free throws.

The Tigers, ranked 21^st nationally, made five of eight free throws in the final 70 seconds to preserve the win. Achiuwa's free throw with 4.4 seconds left gave the UofM a four-point cushion.

"The past couple of days, after those two (back-to-back) losses, I don't know how to explain it," Achiuwa said. "Guys haven't been themselves. We really needed that win."

The Tigers shot 57 percent in the second half and out-rebounded the Bulls, 35-24. That combination allowed the UofM to overcome 22 turnovers.

"This game showed we can pull together for a large majority of the game and beat anyone in the country," Hardaway said. "We are building for (the NCAA tournament in) March."

The Bulls (8-9, 1-3 AAC) were led by David Collins, who finished with 24 points (including 11 from the free throw line). USF was held to 31.6 shooting in the second half.

Trailing by eight at the half, the Tigers trimmed the deficit to five points on a 3-pointer from the right corner by Quinones. But the momentum was short-lived.

The Bulls went on a 14-5 run to regain command, 51-37. The run included four straight 3-pointers.

But midway through the second half the Tigers responded. Down 53-41, the UofM went on a 9-1 run to cut the disadvantage to four points (54-50). Harris had five of the nine points during the run, scoring on a fastbreak layup and draining a 3-pointer from the left wing. An Achiuwa dunk with 8:21 left made it 54-50.

The Tigers tied the game at 58-all a few minutes later run on the two free throws by Harris.

In the first half, the Tigers shot 52 percent and out-rebounded USF, 18-12. But the Bulls led, 37-29, at the break on the strength of taking care of the basketball. The Bulls turned the ball over only five times, while the Tigers committed 13.

Although Memphis had a 17-14 lead midway through the opening half, it couldn't sustain the momentum. USF used an 11-2 run to take command, 25-19 with 7:37 left and never trailed the remainder of the half.

USF eventually built its advantage to 12 points (37-25) after a late 8-2 run powered by Ezacuras Dawson.

Achiuwa led the Tigers with 11 points and seven rebounds at the half.

Memphis returns home after a two-game road trip to face Cincinnati Thursday at FedExForum.

TIGERS NOTEBOOK

Freshman center Malcolm Dandridge made the first start of his career, and sophomore point guard Alex Lomax made his first start of the season and the 12^th of his career.
The last start of Alex Lomax's career came Feb. 2, 2019, at USF.
Lomax scored only four points in 29 minutes, but was effective in other areas. He had seven assists (one off his career high) and tied a career-best with five steals.
Freshman forward Precious Achiuwa posted his fifth consecutive double-double and his ninth of the season. He is averaging a double-double, the only freshman to do so among the nation's top nine Division 1 conferences.
USF was limited to 31.9 percent shooting and 27 points in the second half.