Tigers use all-around effort in 80-53 win at East Carolina

Sunday, January 24

Greenville, N.C.

3 p.m.

University of Memphis

8-5,4-2AAC

East Carolina

7-4,1-4AAC

Memphis

East Carolina

Photo by: ECU Athletics

Tigers use all-around effort in 80-53 win at East Carolina

Jan 24, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – A 49-point first half and seven players with at least eight points helped the Memphis Tigers to an 80-53 win at East Carolina Sunday afternoon in Greenville, N.C.

The Tigers improved to 8-5 overall and 4-2 in American Athletic Conference play with the win. The Tigers have now held five-straight conference foes to fewer than 60 points for the first time since 2008.

Moussa Cisse led Memphis with a career-high 15 points, and he also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Boogie Ellis also had 11 points for the Tigers, and DeAndre Williams added 10. Damion Baugh, Malcolm Dandridge, D.J. Jeffries, and Lester Quinones all had eight-point games.

The Tigers defense held East Carolina's Jayden Gardner scoreless in first half. He came into the game averaging 16.3 points per game and was the leading scoring in the conference a season ago at 19.7 points per outing.

After a blistering second half in its last game, the Tigers came out on fire in the first half Sunday afternoon. With the score knotted at 10, Memphis went on an 8-0 burst and an 18-2 run overall to blow the game open at 28-12. During that stretch the Tigers hit six 3-pointers and had nine assists on their first 10 field goals of the game.

The Tigers torched the nets in the first half to the tune of 52.9 percent shooting (18-34), and Memphis finished with eight 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. Memphis limited East Carolina to just seven baskets in the first half, and the Pirates shot 20.6 percent in the half (7-34).

Counting Sunday's first half along with the second half of Thursday's game against Wichita State, the Tigers hit 37 field goals over 40 minutes of basketball (37-67, .552).

The Pirates (7-4, 1-4 AAC) outscored Memphis by four in the second half, 35-31, but the first half was more than enough for the Tigers to cruise to the 27-point win.

Memphis finished the game shooting a season-high 50.0 percent from the floor (29-58). The Tigers had 20 assists on their 29 field goals to mark their second-straight game with at least 20 assists.

The Tigers hit 11 3-pointers at East Carolina, matching their season high set last game against Wichita State.

Up Next
Memphis is back in action Tuesday night at FedExForum against SMU. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPNU. Tuesday's game is a rescheduling of the game between the two that was postponed on Jan. 14 due to COVID-19-related issues at SMU. Fans with tickets to the original Jan. 14 date should use those tickets for entrance on Tuesday.

The Tigers and Mustangs will then face off Thursday night in Dallas at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

A limited number of tickets are available for Memphis home games with the same social distancing safety guidelines in place as earlier this season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com or by calling (901) 678-2331. Fans with existing season tickets or ticket packages can use their current tickets for upcoming games. More information can be found at www.GoTigersGo.com.

Postgame Notes

Memphis used the starting lineup of Jayden Hardaway, Lester Quinones, Landers Nolley II, DeAndre Williams, and Moussa Cisse for the second-straight game.
- When it was also used in the Tigers' last game, against Wichita State on Jan. 21, it became Memphis' seventh different starting lineup in the first 12 games of the season.
Memphis now leads the series between the two schools 22-4.
- That includes a 9-3 mark in games played in Greenville, N.C.
- Memphis has won five-straight games against the Pirates and seven of the last eight.
- Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway improved to 4-0 against East Carolina.
The Tigers have scored 70-plus points in back-to-back conference games for the first time since Feb. 8 and Feb. 13, 2020, against USF (73) and Cincinnati (86).
Memphis improved to 7-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points.
- The Tigers are 1-4 when scoring 69 or fewer points.
Memphis' previous season high field goal percentage was 48.1 percent (37-77) against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 8.
The Tigers held a 45-35 advantage on the boards.
- Memphis has not been outrebounded in the last nine games, since Dec. 4 against Central Arkansas (39-36).
Memphis led 49-18 at the half.
- The 49 first-half points are the second-most the Tigers have scored in a game this season (55, vs. Mississippi Valley State, Dec. 8).
- Memphis had two 25-point first halves in its last three games.
The Tigers hit eight 3-pointers in the first half alone.
- The eight triples would have been game highs in eight of Memphis' other 12 games this season.
Moussa Cisse led the Tigers in scoring for the first time this season.
- His previous career high was 14 points, set against Arkansas State (Dec. 2) and Mississippi Valley State (Dec. 8).
- With nine rebounds Sunday afternoon, he now has 19 in his last two games after grabbing 18 in the four prior games.
Boogie Ellis added 11 points for the Tigers for his seventh 10-point game of the season and 18th of his Memphis career.
- Ellis last scored in double figures on Dec. 12 against Auburn.
Damion Baugh finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.
- That was his highest-scoring game since having 10 points in the season opener against Saint Mary's on Nov. 25.
- He had a total of nine points in his last four games combined.