Memphis Takes Care of No. 11 Auburn in Impressive Fashion

Saturday, December 10

Atlanta, Ga. / State Farm Arena

4 p.m.

University of Memphis

8-2,0-0AAC

#11/14 Auburn

8-1,0-0SEC

Memphis

Auburn

Memphis Takes Care of No. 11 Auburn in Impressive Fashion

Dec 10, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ATLANTA – The Memphis Tigers earned a win in their biggest test of the season Saturday afternoon with an 82-73 win over No. 11 Auburn inside the State Farm Arena on national television.

The Tigers (8-2) led by as many as 15 in the second half en route to their sixth-straight victory and its third win over a Southeastern Conference opponent this season. Auburn (8-1) was one of just 10 unbeaten teams in the country entering the day.

A trio of players were in double figures, led by Kendric Davis' 27 points, a career high-tying nine rebounds and six assists. DeAndre Williams added his third double-double of the year behind 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Alex Lomax chipped in 13.

Davis and Williams also combined for nine of the team's 14 assists and four steals.

Memphis' well-rounded game as a whole included shooting 50 percent from the field (30-60) despite turning the ball over a season-high 19 times.

With the score tied late in the first half, the blue and gray Tigers used an 8-0 run highlighted by a dunk from Keonte Kennedy to get some breathing room and take a 38-32 lead into the break.

Midway through the second half, Williams scored five straight before Davis stepped in front of a backcourt pass and took it to the other end of the court for a layup, giving Memphis its largest lead of the night at 67-54 and forcing Auburn (8-1) to call a timeout.

The Tigers from Alabama took advantage of Williams fouling out and brought their large contingent of fans to their feet with a number of high-energy plays, but Memphis' grit and experience never let Auburn any closer than eight points the rest of the way.

In the second half, the Tigers committed only six turnovers after throwing the ball away 13 times in the first 20 minutes. Memphis drew 13 second-half fouls and went 13-of-17 from the stripe (.765) in the final 20 minutes.

Auburn had four players in double figures, led by 14 from Wendell Green Jr. and K.D. Johnson. Memphis limited the nation's top shot-blocking team to just two blocks on the day, after averaging 8.1 per game entering Saturday.

UP NEXT
The Tigers finish their two-game road trip Tuesday with another primetime SEC showdown as they take on No. 8/10 Alabama at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

POSTGAME NOTES

Memphis used the lineup of Alex Lomax, Kendric Davis, Jayden Hardaway, DeAndre Williams and Chandler Lawson for the seventh straight game, improving to 7-1 in those contests.
Memphis dominated the glass 43-32 and grabbed 14 on the offensive end. It matched the most rebounds allowed by Auburn this season, while the 32 its fewest on the year.
The Memphis Tigers obliterated the much taller Auburn Tigers in the paint, outscoring them 50-24, the most Auburn had allowed all season.
Williams shot 7-of-13 from the floor, while Davis finished 9-of-19.
Memphis entered the night 27^th in the nation allowing opponents to shoot just 37.8 percent from the floor. They held Auburn to 38.1 percent (24-63).
The win was the fifth Power Five victory of the year for the Tigers.
Keonte Kennedy scored nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting with three rebounds.
Elijah McCadden added four points, but matched his season high with six boards.

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.