Memphis Thrills Jam-Packed FedExForum with 75-61 Win over No. 14 Houston

Sunday, March 6

Memphis, Tenn.

11 a.m.

University of Memphis

19-9,13-5AAC

Houston

26-5,15-3AAC

Houston

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Memphis Thrills Jam-Packed FedExForum with 75-61 Win over No. 14 Houston

Mar 06, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers put an emphatic cap on the 2021-22 regular season with a wire-to-wire 75-61 win over No. 14/14 Houston in front of 17,946 raucous fans Sunday morning at FedExForum.

The Tigers (19-9, 13-5 American Athletic Conference) have won 10 of their last 11 games entering next week's AAC Tournament. The Tigers have now defeated three ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 2013-14, which was also the last time the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament. That includes two wins this year over the AAC regular-season champion Cougars (26-5, 15-3 AAC).

Memphis' 13 AAC wins this season are its most since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 campaign.

Tyler Harris led the way with 15 points, hitting 3-of-6 shots from behind the arc. Landers Nolley II and Lester Quinones each had 11, and Jalen Duren, Alex Lomax and DeAndre Williams all scored eight apiece. Duren also grabbed eight rebounds, five offensive.

Lomax had a season-high five steals in his 28 minutes of action.

The Tigers forced 20 Houston turnovers, which is its season high. Memphis turned the Cougars over 19 times in Houston earlier this season, which was its previous high. Those turnovers led to 28 Memphis points Sunday.

Memphis jumped all over the Cougars from the onset as the crowd was electric, leading by 10 after just five minutes of game action and by as many as 23 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Tigers led 49-29 at the break.

Houston pulled within 13 with 12:23 to go in the game after an 8-0 run, but the Tigers quickly responded with a 9-0 burst of their own to reclaim control and open a 22-point lead. Houston was no closer than 13 points again the rest of the way.

The Cougars were led by Kyler Edwards' 19 points.

Memphis shot 48.1 percent from the field as a team (26-54) and 46.7 percent from 3-point range (7-15). The Tigers outrebounded Houston, 32-25.

UP NEXT
Up next for Memphis is the American Athletic Conference Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, which runs Thursday through next Sunday. The Tigers will open on Friday after securing a first-round bye, and the full bracket will be released later Sunday after the conclusion of the conference's regular-season slate.

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

POSTGAME NOTES

Memphis used the starting lineup of Alex Lomax, Lester Quinones, Landers Nolley II, DeAndre Williams and Jalen Duren for the seventh-straight game.
- Memphis has used 16 different starting lineups in the 28 games this season.
- The last seven games are the first time this season the Tigers have used the same lineup in seven consecutive contests.
Memphis has won back-to-back games against the Cougars and leads the all-time series, 35-20.
- That includes a 22-5 advantage in games played in Memphis.
Memphis has trailed for only 21:41 of a possible 360:00 of game action in its last nine wins.
- That includes five games it did not trail at all, including Sunday, and one game it was behind for 20 total seconds.
- The Tigers have not been behind for a single second over the last three games.
The Tigers were 16-of-20 from the free throw line in the game (.800).
- Memphis has had nine games this season shooting at least 80.0 percent from the stripe with at least 15 attempts.
- Memphis accomplished the feat just once last season and four times total in 2019-20.
- The Tigers made their first 11 free throws Sunday afternoon, and coupled with hitting their last 18 in the game at Houston earlier this season had made 29-straight free throws against the Cougars at one point.
Tyler Harris led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points.
- He has topped the Tiger scoresheet a team-high eight times this year.
- Memphis is 26-11 when the senior has at least three 3-pointers in a game.
- That includes a 7-3 mark this season.
Landers Nolley II was in double digits for the 14th time this year and sixth time in the last seven contests.
Lester Quinones has reached the 10-point mark nine times in the last 10 games.
With eight points, Jalen Duren's streak of 10-straight double-digit games comes to a close.
- He is averaging 13.8 points per game over his last 11 outings.

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.