Memphis Takes Care of UNA, 87-68

Wednesday, November 30

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

5-2,0-0AAC

North Alabama

4-4,0-0ASUN

North Ala.

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Nov 30, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Tigers took care of business inside FedEx Forum Wednesday evening, defeating the University of North Alabama, 87-68, behind double-digit scoring outings from four Tigers.

Memphis is now 5-2 on the year and will enter Saturday's matchup against Ole Miss (6-1) riding a three-game win streak. The Lions fell to 4-4 on the year with the loss.

Fifth-year guard Kendric Davis led the charge offensively, scoring 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting and adding four assists and a pair of rebounds. Fifth-year forward DeAndre Williams was sharp from the floor all night, finishing with 15 points on 7-of-9 field goals.

Senior guard Keonte Kennedy scored a season high 11 points with four rebounds in 23 minutes, while freshman Johnathan Lawson recorded a career high 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from long distance.

After scoring the first seven points of the night in the first two minutes, the Tigers stretched their advantage to 23-14 behind a 9-0 spurt midway through the half. A few minutes later, Davis and Jayden Hardaway connected on back-to-back buckets to spark another 9-0 run, forcing UNA to call timeout after falling behind by 18.

Memphis scored a season high 46 points in the first half and never let up after the break. Johnathan Lawson connected on his second three of the game with 5:59 on the clock to give the Tigers their largest lead of the night and of the season at 80-52.

Memphis finished the night 33-of-60 shooting for a season-high 55.0-percent clip. The Tigers also went 47.1 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-17) and drained 13-of-17 trips to the charity stripe.

Daniel Ortiz led UNA in scoring with 16 points to go with five rebounds. He was 5-of-8 shooting. KJ Johnson added 10 points and a team-high five assists.

GAME NOTES

Chandler Lawson scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in 26 minutes.
Elijah McCadden finished with eight points after going 4-of-7 from the floor.
Alex Lomax once again impacted the game at every level. He only recorded four points, but pulled down six boards, dished a season high eight dimes and tied his career high with five steals in just under 20 minutes of action.
The Tigers outrebounded the Lions 35-26 and grabbed nine on the offensive end.
Memphis dished a season high 21 assists and only coughed the ball up 11 times. The plus-10 ratio was the highest of the season.
Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu saw a season high 21 minutes of action and came away with five points, three rebounds and blocked five of the team's seven shots.
All 10 Tigers who saw the floor got in the scoring column and grabbed a rebound, while eight of them recorded an assist.
Memphis won the battle in the paint, 42-36, and outscored the Lions 19-12 off turnovers.
The Tigers led for 39:38 of the game and never trailed.

UP NEXT
Memphis now turns its attention to a stretch of four SEC opponents in its next five games. The road behind Saturday when Ole Miss visits the Forum for a national television battle on ESPN 2 at 6:30 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.