No. 12/16 Tigers Open Season with 89-65 Win

Tuesday, November 9

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

Tennessee Tech

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Nov 09, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 12/16 Memphis Tigers began the 2021-22 season with an 89-65 win over Tennessee Tech Tuesday night at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.

Memphis (1-0) shot 59.3 percent from the floor as a team (35-59), its fourth-best shooting performance in a game since 2010-11. The Tigers also hit 13-of-26 3-point tries (.500).

Freshmen Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren led the way with 17 and 15 points, respectively, going a combined 13-for-19 from the field, and Duren also had six rebounds and five blocked shots. Lester Quinones had 15 points, hitting 3-of-6 from distance, and he also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

DeAndre Williams added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and four assists, and Landers Nolley II had 10 points.

The Tigers came out firing in the first half, leading by as many as 16 points, and torched the nets in the first 20 minutes at a blistering 62.5 percent pace (20-32).

Tennessee Tech (0-1) was led by Mamoudou Diarra's 11 points.

UP NEXT
Memphis hosts North Carolina Central Saturday at 6 p.m. After Saturday, the Tigers remain home to welcome Saint Louis next Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Western Kentucky next Friday at 7 p.m., before venturing to the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, N.Y., the week of Thanksgiving.

Tickets for 2021-22 are available online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com or by phone at (901) 678-2331.

POSTGAME NOTES

Memphis used the starting lineup of Alex Lomax, Emoni Bates, Lester Quinones, DeAndre Williams and Jalen Duren to start the season.
Memphis has won 19 consecutive home openers dating back to an 81-80 overtime loss to Austin Peay on Nov. 22, 2002.
Memphis has won seven-straight games against the Golden Eagles and leads the all-time series between the two schools 30-24 overall and 23-7 in Memphis.
The Tigers have won eight-straight games at FedExForum and are 44-7 at home under head coach Penny Hardaway.
Memphis has won nine-straight games when scoring 80-plus points.
Along with Bates and Duren, Tiger cagers John Camden, Chandler Lawson, Josh Minott and Earl Timberlake all made their Memphis debuts.
After averaging 9.5 rebounds per game in Memphis' final six games of 2020-21, Lester Quinones led the way with seven in the game.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the department's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.