Memphis Drops Regular-Season Finale at Florida Atlantic

Saturday, March 9

Boca Raton, Fla.

11:00 AM

University of Memphis

22-9,11-7AAC

Florida Atlantic

24-7,14-4AAC

Memphis

Fla. Atlantic

Memphis Drops Regular-Season Finale at Florida Atlantic

Mar 09, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Nae'Qwan Tomlin led the way with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, but the Memphis Tigers came up short in the final game of the regular season, falling 92-84 at Florida Atlantic Saturday afternoon in Boca Raton, Florida.

With the loss, Memphis will either get the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in next week's American Athletic Championship, depending on the result of Sunday's UAB-SMU game. Regardless of the outcome, the Tigers will open play Thursday and must win four games in four days to repeat as AAC Champs.

The loss snapped Memphis' four-game win streak, but the Tigers have still won seven of their last 10 games entering postseason play.

The Tigers were hot to start the game, hitting eight of their first 14 shots, which included four three-pointers. They were in front for nearly the first 13 minutes of the game and led by as many as six following back-to-back triples from Jayden Hardaway and David Jones.

Florida Atlantic (24-7, 14-4 AAC) rode its big man Vlad Goldin and eventually took its first lead at the 7:04 mark of the first half. Goldin scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and helped lead the Owls into the break with a 41-35 advantage.

The Tigers pulled to within three at 48-45 at the 15:10 mark early in the second half, but the Owls reeled off a 12-3 run to help build a 14-point lead with six minutes to play.

Memphis managed to get it back to within six points on multiple occasions but were unable to get over the hump.

FAU was led by Goldin's 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Bryan Greenlee also chipped in 21.

UP NEXT
The Tigers will head to Fort Worth, Texas to battle in the AAC Championship. They will begin play Thursday as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.

POSTGAME NOTES

Memphis used the starting lineup of Jahvon Quinerly, David Jones, Nicholas Jourdain, Jaykwon Walton and Nae'Qwan Tomlin for the seventh time this season.
- The Tigers dropped to 5-2 with that starting group.
Memphis fell to 2-2 all-time against the Owls.
The Tigers shot 47.0 percent for the game, hitting 31-of-66 from the floor.
- They drilled 16-of-32 from three-point range, their second-most makes from beyond the arc this season.
Memphis connected on double-digit triples for the seventh time this year.
The Tigers finished just 6-of-8 at the free throw line, their second-fewest attempts of the season.
Nae'Qwan Tomlin recorded his fourth-straight 20-point game with 27 points.
- The Harlem, New York native shot 11-of-15 from the floor for the second-straight game and hit a career-high five triples (5-of-6).
- He also grabbed seven rebounds in 36 minutes.
David Jones finished with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Jahvon Quinerly also added16 points, all in the second half, with four assists.
Jaykwon Walton was the fourth Tiger in double figures with 10 points.
- He also tied his career high with six assists to go along with four rebounds.
Jayden Hardaway scored a season-high eight points, while Nicholas Jourdain finished with seven points and six boards.
FAU outscored Memphis 46-24 in the paint and 16-9 off turnovers.
Memphis led for 10:17 of the game, while FAU led for 27:04.

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.