Memphis Falls on Buzzer Beater to No. 1/1 Houston, 67-65

Sunday, March 5

Memphis, Tenn.

11 a.m.

University of Memphis

23-8,13-5AAC

#1/1 Houston

29-2,17-1AAC

Houston

Memphis

Memphis Falls on Buzzer Beater to No. 1/1 Houston, 67-65

Mar 05, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In what was inevitably one of the best games of the season in college basketball, the Memphis Tigers lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer to No. 1 Houston, 67-65, Sunday afternoon inside FedExForum on Senior Day.

After Kendric Davis tied the game up at 65 on a driving layup with eight seconds to play, the Cougars' Jamal Shead got a pull-up jumper to fall as the horn sounded in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,437 at the Forum.

With the setback, the Tigers end the regular season with an overall record of 23-8 and a mark of 13-5 in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Houston improved to 29-2 on the season and 17-1 in league action.

Davis stepped up on the brightest stage with a game-high 26 points after going 11-of-12 at the line. Chandler Lawson added 10 points, including a pair of big three-pointers in the second half, to go with five rebounds.

Big man Malcolm Dandridge showed up big with nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes off the bench.

Houston won the opening tip and got the game started on a jumper from the paint. The Cougars led by as many as 11 late in the first half and took a 41-32 lead into the break after shooting 46 percent from the floor with a 7-of-19 mark from long distance.

After not making a three in the first 20 minutes, the Tigers came out swinging from deep after halftime. Chandler Lawson and Davis connected on back-to-back triples as Memphis opened the half 4-of-4 from three-point land.

Davis and Alex Lomax nailed back-to-back triples midway through the period to give the Tigers their first lead since the first minutes of the game at 51-47.

After Memphis took a 56-51 advantage with 8:31 to play, the Cougars showed their toughness and put together a 10-0 run to regain the lead before DeAndre Williams sunk a pair of free throws with 3:29 to play.

Davis pulled the Tigers even on two separate occasions with a three and a driving layup before Shead's game-winner.

Jamal Shead and Tramon Mark led the Cougars with 16 points apiece.

UP NEXT
Memphis will head to Fort Worth, Texas, as the No. 2 seed in the AAC Tournament on March 9-12 at Dickies Arena. The tournament bracket will be revealed Sunday evening after the conclusion of all games.

POSTGAME NOTES

The 18,437 fans in attendance was the 6^th-largest crowd at FedExForum for a Tigers game.
Memphis held the Cougars to just 26 second-half points after forcing eight Houston turnovers and limiting them to just 21 field goal attempts.
The Tigers shot a season-low 35.8 percent overall on the day (19-53), 33.3 percent from deep (6-18), but connected on 21-of-23 free throw attempts (91.3).
The 9-point difference was the largest deficit the Tigers have faced all season at the half.
Kendric Davis recorded his 17^th game of 20 or more points in his last 21 played. His 11 free throws made was his seventh game of the year with 10-plus makes at the line.
Chandler Lawson reached double figures (10) for the third time this season after going 3-of-5 from the field.
Malcolm Dandridge had his most points in a game since scoring 14 versus Seton Hall on Nov. 14, 2022. His seven boards were one shy of his season high.
The loss was the first of the season for Memphis when holding an opponent to fewer than 70 points (13-1).
Memphis falls to 0-11 all-time against No. 1 teams.
Memphis scored 22 points off 14 Houston turnovers and outscored the Cougars 14-11 off the bench.
The Tigers honored seniors Damaria Franklin, Elijah McCadden, Chandler Lawson, Kendric Davis, DeAndre Williams and Malcolm Dandridge in a ceremony pregame.

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