Tigers fall to Tulsa

Wednesday, January 22

Tulsa, Okla.

8 PM

University of Memphis

Tulsa (Coaches vs Cancer Game)

Precious Achiuwa (55) was the only Tiger to score in double figures.

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Jan 22, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Gamebook (TLS 80, UM 40)Memphis Season Statistics (Overall)Memphis Season Statistics (AAC Only)

UofM remains winless in Tulsa since joining the AAC

By: Phil Stukenborg

TULSA, Okla. – The University of Memphis men's basketball team's winless streak in Tulsa as a member of the American Athletic Conference continued Wednesday night at the Reynolds Center.

The 20^th-ranked Tigers (14-4 overall, 3-2 AAC) didn't have an answer for the Golden Hurricane (13-6, 5-1). Tulsa defeated the Tigers, 80-40, to remain atop the conference standings, It was the Golden Hurricane's fifth straight win at home over Memphis since joining the AAC.

Memphis shot a season-low 28.6 percent from the field. The previous low was 33.9 percent at Tennessee in a 51-47 win on Dec. 14.

The Tigers also missed 19 of their 21 3-pointers and trailed by 30 or more for a majority of the second half.Tulsa led by 41 with 2:43 to go.

"I obviously didn't have my team ready," Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said. "We let our offense dictate our defense. We gave up 80 points. That was embarrassing."

Precious Achiuwa led the Tigers with 10 points, the only UofM player to score in double figures.

Memphis made only 16 of 56 field goals and committed 20 turnovers.

Tulsa, which shot 50 percent, was led by Jeriah Horne, who finished with 21 points. Four others scored in double figures.

Trailing by 23 at the half, the Tigers made a brief run to cut it to 20 points (46-26) following a 3-pointer by Jayden Hardaway from the left wing.

But Tulsa rebounded by putting together a 13-2 run to take command by 32 points (60-28).

"It's a little embarrassing, but we've got a lot to learn from this game," said Tigers forward D.J. Jeffries. "I don't think anyone in our locker room has lost a game by 40 points. We've got to learn from it."

In the first half, the Tigers struggled from the outset. They were behind 19-8 midway through the half and trailed by 23 (40-17) at the half. The 23-point deficit was the UofM's largest of the opening 20 minutes.

The 17 first-half points were the fewest scored by the Tigers since scoring 25 in December in a game the UofM won against Tennessee.

Memphis shot 31 percent in the first half and missed all of its 10 3-pointers. Achiuwa led the Tigers with eight first-half points. Damion Baugh scored four points.

Tulsa shot 54 percent in the opening half and was led by Horne, who scored 11, and Martins Igbanu, who had nine.

Memphis returns home Saturday to play host to SMU. The game tips off at 3 p.m. at FedExForum.

NOTES

The 17 first-half points were the second fewest in an opening half by a Penny Hardaway-coached team. The Tigers were held to 13 first-half points last season at USF.
The lowest field goal percentage for the Tigers in Hardaway's first season was 23.5 against Houston in the AAC Tournament semifinals at FedExForum. The Tigers shot 28 percent against Tulsa.
Memphis made only 2-of-21 3-pointers. The 9.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc was the lowest percentage of the season for the Tigers.
The 40-point win was the largest over a ranked team by Tulsa.
Memphis entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage defense (35 percent). The Golden Hurricane shot 50 percent (27 of 54).