University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
7-7,2-0American
Rice
6-9,0-2American
Memphis Wins Conference Road Opener at Rice
Jan 03, 2026 | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON – Memphis picked up its first road win of the season Saturday afternoon, rallying from an early deficit and closing strong to defeat Rice, 75-70, at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Tigers improved to 7-7 overall and 2-0 in American Conference play, extending their winning streak to three games and opening league road play with a victory. Rice dropped its third-straight contest, falling to 6-9 overall and 0-2 in conference action.
Dug McDaniel led the way for Memphis with 18 points, stuffing the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists and four steals. He scored 11 of his points after halftime as the Tigers erased a seven-point second-half deficit. Sincere Parker added 15 points and five rebounds, while Aaron Bradshaw was perfect from the floor, finishing 5-for-5 with 12 points before fouling out late.
Memphis endured a disjointed first half marked by foul trouble and turnovers, allowing Rice to build a 13-point advantage midway through the period. The Owls capitalized on the Tigers' miscues to surge ahead 25-12 with just under eight minutes remaining before the break.
Despite the sluggish start, Memphis steadied itself behind Bradshaw's interior presence and late defensive pressure. The Tigers closed the half on a 19-7 run as Rice cooled off, missing nine of its final 10 shots, to trail just 32-31 at intermission.
Momentum carried over early in the second half. A 9-0 Memphis run wiped away a seven-point deficit and gave the Tigers a 40-38 lead with 16:50 remaining. McDaniel and Hasan Abdul Hakim fueled the surge, combining for 14 of Memphis' first 18 points after the break.
Memphis stretched its lead to eight points with just over seven minutes to play, but Rice responded once more. The Owls clawed back within two, 62-60, with just over two minutes remaining, setting up another tight finish.
This time, the Tigers delivered. Parker converted a driving layup, Ashton Hardaway followed with a put-back dunk and Memphis sealed the win at the free-throw line. After struggling at the stripe in its previous outing, Memphis bounced back by hitting 26 of 30 foul shots.
Nick Anderson led Rice with 17 points and three steals. Trae Broadnax added 15 points and Cam Carroll chipped in 13.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Starting Five: Memphis opened with a starting lineup of Dug McDaniel, Zach Davis, Ashton Hardaway, Aaron Bradshaw and Simon Majok.
- It is the third time this season that lineup has started. The other two times were in the Bahamas against Purdue and Wake Forest.
- Shooting: Memphis shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the floor and went 26-of-30 at the free throw line (85.7%). The Tigers hit just four three-pointers.
- The 26 makes at the stripe were a season high for the Tigers after going just 4-of-15 (26.7%) earlier in the week against North Texas.
- Turnovers: Memphis committed 15 turnovers, which Rice converted into 20 points.
- Defense: Memphis held Rice to 36.5 percent shooting (19-of-52) and forced 14 turnovers.
- The Tigers turned those miscues into 17 points.
- Bench Production: Memphis got 33 points from its bench, compared to 15 from Rice.
- It marked the ninth game this season with 30+ bench points.
- Rebounding: Memphis outrebounded Rice 38-31 and pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.
- The Tigers have now recorded nine or more offensive rebounds in 28 consecutive games, the 2nd-longest streak in Division I.
- Memphis scored 24 second-chance points.
- Ball Movement: Memphis dished out 10 assists while committing 20 turnovers, it's the third-fewest dimes of the season for the Tigers.
- Dug McDaniel scored a game-high 18 points with six rebounds, four assists and four steals in 36 minutes.
- All four of his steals came in the second half, with his first theft being No. 150 for his career.
- Sincere Parker finished with 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench in 21 minutes.
- Aaron Bradshaw recorded 12 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes.
- He was perfect from the field Saturday, going 5-of-5.
- Hasan Abdul Hakim totaled 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals in 27 minutes.
- Nine of his points came after halftime.
- Julius Thedford contributed seven points and three rebounds, while Ashton Hardaway added five points and four boards.
- Zach Davis swiped three steals.
- Memphis was whistled for 26 fouls in the win, its second-most of the season.
UP NEXT
Memphis gets a brief break before returning to the road for a trip to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic on Jan. 11 at noon central.
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.
