University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
15-3,4-1AAC
South Florida
10-5,3-1AAC
No. 10 Tigers Can’t Hang On to 20-Point Lead in Loss to South Florida
Jan 18, 2024 | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was a tale of two halves for the No. 10 Memphis men's basketball team as the Tigers couldn't hang on in the second half of a 74-73 loss to South Florida Thursday night in FedExForum.
After the first 20 minutes of action, Memphis (15-3, 4-1 AAC) seemed to have picked up right where it left off at Wichita State.
The Tigers shot 47.4 percent and got nearly anything it wanted in taking a 47-32 lead into the half. They outscored the Bulls 28-4 in the paint and 17-0 on the fast break. David Jones scored 13-straight points in a stretch and finished with 18 points in only 11 minutes of work before halftime.
Memphis led by 20 points on two different occasions: 34-14 in the first half and 52-32 early in the second. Everything seemed to be clicking, but that's when the game flipped on its head.
South Florida (10-5, 3-1 AAC), winners in seven of their last eight games entering the contest, went on a run with three-straight triples to pull within four points over the next seven minutes, outscoring the Tigers 23-7.
The final 5:43 was played as a one-possession game and USF pulled the game even with 37 seconds left on the clock with a Jayden Reid layup. In Memphis' final possession, Jahvon Quinerly drove the paint and looked to the short corner, but a miscommunication sent the ball out of bounds and gave USF possession.
Kaesean Pryor found himself wide open on the Bulls ensuing inbounds and got fouled with 4.4 seconds to play. After making the first free throw to give South Florida its first lead since 17:28 in the first half, Pryor missed on his next attempt. Memphis grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up court where Quinerly heaved a three-pointer at the buzzer that bounced off the rim as the clock expired.
Jones led all scorers with 25 points, while Quinerly added 15 and Nae'Qwan Tomlin chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
USF was led by Miguel Selton's 23 points and five three-pointers. Pryor contributed a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Memphis used the starting lineup of Jahvon Quinerly, David Jones, Jaykwon Walton, Nicholas Jourdain and Malcolm Dandridge.
- The Tigers dropped to 9-1 this season with that starting five.
- Memphis entered the night with the nation's 4th-longest win streak at 10 games.
- David Jones grabbed five rebounds and shot 9-of-15 from the floor.
- His 18 first-half points was his second-highest mark before halftime this season.
- Jahvon Quinerly scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half.
- He grabbed three boards, dished two assists, and swiped a pair of steals.
- Memphis scored 19 points off 11 USF turnovers.
- The Tigers outscored the Bulls 42-18 in the paint and 21-2 off the fast break.
- Memphis outrebounded South Florida, 41-37, and grabbed 19 offensive boards leading to 20 second-chance points.
- South Florida outscored Memphis 42-26 in the second half behind 46.4 percent shooting (13-28).
- Memphis shot just 33.3 percent (9-27) and hit 2-of-15 from deep in the final 20 minutes.
- Memphis became the fifth AP top-10 team to lose at home this season. Four of those came to unranked opponents.
UP NEXT
The Tigers hit the road once again, this time heading down to The Big Easy where they will take on Tulane Sunday at noon on ESPN2. Memphis has not won inside Fogelman Arena since 2020, dropping its last two meetings there.
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.
