Jones' 36 Points Lead Memphis Past No. 20 Arkansas

Thursday, November 23

Nassau, Bahamas

4:00 PM

University of Memphis

5-0,0-0AAC

#20/RV Arkansas

4-2,0-0SEC

Arkansas

Memphis

Nov 23, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – David Jones lit up No. 20 Arkansas for a career-high 36 points to lead the Memphis Tigers to the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis with an 84-79 victory over the Razorbacks on Thanksgiving night in the Bahamas.

The Tigers (5-0) will face Villanova (5-1) at 2:30 p.m. CT Friday for the tournament title on ESPN.

In the first matchup between the programs in over 20 years, the Thursday-night feast did not disappoint. Jones finished 10-of-14 from the floor, drilled four triples, converted on 12-of-14 trips to the free throw line and swiped five steals to prove to the nation that he was the best player on the court, at least for the night.

Junior forward Nicholas Jourdain played 21 minutes off the bench but made a number of plays that will not show up in the box score. The ones that will, however, are 12 points, three rebounds, two blocks and a 5-for-5 night from the floor.

Jaykwon Walton also added 11 points, three boards and a pair of assists in 27 minutes.

Memphis led by as many as 10 points late in the second half, forcing 18 Arkansas turnovers and holding the Razorbacks to just four fastbreak points.

Jones scored 17 of his points in the first half and hit back-to-back threes in the final 23 seconds to send Memphis into the intermission with a 42-37 advantage.

After Arkansas quickly tied the game in the first two minutes of the second period, Memphis got 11-straight points from Jourdain and Jones to push its lead to 60-52 with 10 minutes remaining.

The Razorbacks got back to within four on three separate occasions in the final 1:10, but the Tigers were too steady and made the plays when they needed them to ice the victory.

POSTGAME NOTES

Memphis used the starting lineup of Jahvon Quinerly, Caleb Mills, Jaykwon Walton, David Jones and Jordan Brown for the third-straight game.
Jones became only the second player in Division I over the last 25 years to have 35+ points and 5+ steals in a road or neutral-site victory over an AP Top 25 team. Stephen Curry in the 2008 NCAA Tournament against Gonzaga was the other.
Jones' previous career high was 33 points against Louisville on Dec. 10, 2021 while at DePaul.
Memphis improved to 6-1 against SEC teams over the last two seasons and will have three chances in December to add more.
The Tigers shot 49.1 percent overall (26-53) and connected on a season-high 24-of-30 at the stripe.
Memphis drilled eight three-pointers, giving the Tigers 47 through five games this season.
Memphis scored 27 points off Arkansas' 18 turnovers.
The Tigers dished 14 assists to 13 turnovers and held the Razorbacks to only seven assists on 26 made field goals.
The Razorbacks shot 47.3 percent overall (26-55) and outrebounded the Tigers 33-24.

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.