Memphis takes sole possession of second place with comeback win over SMU

Tuesday, January 26

Memphis, Tenn.

6 p.m.

University of Memphis

9-5,5-2AAC

SMU

8-3,4-3AAC

SMU

Memphis

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Memphis takes sole possession of second place with comeback win over SMU

Jan 26, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers erased a 13-point first-half deficit and moved into sole possession of second place in the American Athletic Conference with a 76-72 win over SMU Tuesday night at FedExForum.

The Tigers (9-5, 5-2 AAC) have won three-straight games and are now alone in second place in the conference, one loss behind first-place Houston.

Two of Memphis' largest deficits of the season, 13 points tonight and 12 points against USF on Dec. 29, have ended up resulting in Tiger wins.

Five Tigers were in double figures Tuesday night, led by Alex Lomax' season-high 14 points. Lomax also had five assists and went 4-of-6 from the floor to go along with six free throws. D.J. Jeffries and Landers Nolley II added 12 points apiece for Memphis and combined to go 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and Moussa Cisse, the reigning AAC Freshman of the Week, had another double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and a season-high-tying four blocks.

DeAndre Williams contributed 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot.

The Tiger defense limited the AAC's leading scorer, Kendric Davis, to eight points on 4-of-14 shooting. Memphis also forced him to commit six turnovers. Davis entered the game averaging 19.3 points per game for SMU (8-3, 4-3 AAC).

Trailing by 13, 26-13, with 6:46 left in the first half, the Tigers dominated the rest of the opening 20 minutes and took a 34-31 lead into the break. Memphis closed the half on a 17-2 run and held the Mustangs scoreless for the final 2:03.

Cisse was a gamechanger at the end of the first half, as was Lomax. Cisse blocked two shots in the final 2:23, and Lomax had five points in the last few minutes. After starting 5-for-18 from the floor in the game, Memphis made eight of its last 12 shots of the first half. To contrast, SMU started 9-for-12 but finished 4-for-16 and made one of its last nine tries.

Memphis opened up a nine-point lead, its largest of the game, with 14:40 left to play, but the Mustangs scored the next nine points to tie the contest at 52. From there, the final 14 minutes featured six ties and four lead changes as two of the better teams in the conference were locked in a battle.

SMU took a lead at 62-61, but Williams answered with a 3-pointer, and then 66-64, but a pair of Lester Quinones free throws and a Lomax layup put Memphis back on top.

With the game knotted at 70 with 2:30 to go, Williams came down and buried a triple off a Lomax assist to put Memphis on top, 73-70. Williams then made a key block on SMU's next possession, and the Tigers forced a pair of turnovers on SMU's next few possessions.

Lomax and Quinones hit their free throws in the final seconds, and Lomax' tough defense forced a shot clock violation on a potential game-tying 3-pointer, and the Tigers sent the fans home happy with the four-point win.

Memphis ended the game shooting 50.9 percent from the floor (27-53), a new season high after previously setting it by shooting 50.0 percent in Sunday's win at East Carolina.

The Tigers hit 10 3-pointers for their third-straight game with double-digit long balls.

Up Next
The Tigers and Mustangs now head to Dallas to face off Thursday night at SMU. The game tips off at 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2. After that, the Tigers return to FedExForum for four-straight games to start the month of February beginning Monday, Feb. 1, against UCF at 7 p.m.

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 third-straight game.
- When it was used for the first time in the Tigers' 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 all-time series with SMU, 15-12
- That includes an 11-5 advantage in games played in Memphis.
- The Tigers had lost the last two to SMU by a combined nine points.
Moussa Cisse had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.
- It was his fourth double-double of the season and second in three games.
- He missed a double-double in the other game (at East Carolina, Jan. 24) by one rebound.
- The four blocks matched a season high, set Dec. 8 against Mississippi Valley State.
Alex Lomax ended the game with a season-high 14 points and five assists.
- Lomax has set season highs in scoring in two of his last three games (12, vs. Wichita State, Jan. 21).
- He is averaging 5.3 assists per game during Memphis' three-game winning streak.
Landers Nolley II was in double figures for the team-high ninth time this season and fourth time in the last five games.
- He was 3-for-5 from 3-point range, his sixth game with multiple 3s in his last eight outings.
D.J. Jeffries finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
- It was Jeffries' first game in double figures in his last six outings, since having 18 at Tulane on Dec. 16.
DeAndre Williams' two 3-pointers matched his combined output in his first six games of the year.
Memphis' five-game streak of holding conference opponents to fewer than 60 points came to a close.
- The stretch was the first time the Tigers did so since Jan. 9-23, 2008.
The Tigers were outrebounded, 32-31.
- It was Memphis' first time being topped on the boards in its last eight games, since Dec. 4 against Central Arkansas (39-36).