Late Drought Costs Memphis in Denton

Thursday, February 12

Denton, Texas

8:00 PM

University of Memphis

12-12,7-5American

North Texas

14-11,5-7American

Memphis

North Texas

Feb 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

DENTON, Texas - Memphis saw a late lead slip away as North Texas closed strong for a 76-69 decision Thursday night at The Super Pit.

The Tigers (12-12, 7-5 American) opened fast, racing out to an 8-0 lead behind back-to-back threes from Julius Thedford and Curtis Givens III. Aaron Bradshaw added a tough bucket inside and an alley-oop slam to help Memphis carry a 10-5 edge into the first media timeout.

After building a 23-16 advantage, Memphis cooled off late in the half, making just three of its final 12 shots. North Texas used a 13-0 run to grab the lead, but the Tigers answered with a 10-0 burst sparked by Zach Davis and Dug McDaniel. The Mean Green scored twice in the final 50 seconds to take a 33-32 lead into the break.

Thedford paced Memphis at the half with eight points and three rebounds, while Davis and Givens added seven apiece. North Texas made its presence felt at the free-throw line, earning 14 attempts in the first half compared to just three for the Tigers.

North Texas opened the second half on a 6-0 spurt and held the lead until Memphis mounted its biggest push of the night. Trailing 52-44 with 12:29 remaining, the Tigers ripped off a 16-3 run over the next four minutes. Sincere Parker scored 11 points during the surge and Davis knocked down a key three to swing momentum and give Memphis a 60-55 lead.

The Tigers were still in front 67-62 with just over five minutes to play, but the offense stalled from there. Memphis did not make another field goal over the final 5:12, while North Texas closed on a 14-2 run. An 11-2 stretch by the Mean Green over a three-minute span put them ahead 73-69 with 1:11 remaining, and they sealed the game at the foul line.

Parker finished with a team-high 20 points, including 18 after halftime, to lead three Tigers in double figures. Memphis shot 43.1 percent from the floor but committed 16 turnovers and was outscored heavily at the stripe, where North Texas went 31-for-41, compared to just 13-of-15 for Memphis.

The last time Memphis was outshot by 25 or more at the free throw line was March 2, 2019 against Cincinnati (36-to-10).

POSTGAME NOTES

Starting Five: Memphis opened with a starting lineup of Dug McDaniel, Curtis Givens III, Julius Thedford, Aaron Bradshaw and Thierno Sylla.
- It's the second-straight game the Tigers have used this starting five.
Shooting: Memphis shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the floor and went 6-of-19 from beyond the three-point line (31.6%).
- North Texas dominated at the free throw line, converting 31-of-41 (75.6%), resulting in a +18 advantage in charity makes as Memphis finished with 13-of-15.
- It marks just the sixth time an opponent has attempted 40 or more free throws against Memphis under Penny Hardaway and just the fifth time a team has made at least 30.
- In every instance of both situations, the Tigers have lost the game.
Turnovers: Memphis committed 16 turnovers, which North Texas turned into 28 points.
- It's the second most points off turnovers allowed this season for the Tigers (30 – UNLV).
Defense: The Tigers allowed the Mean Green to shoot 44.7 percent overall (21-of-47), despite holding them to just 3-of-15 (20.0%) from long distance.
- Memphis has now held 15 opponents to under 30 percent from three-point range this season, including eight in conference play.
- The Tigers have limited their last three opponents to just 19-of-84 (22.6%) from deep over the last three games.
- The Tigers swiped nine steals and blocked seven shots, the third most swats of the season.
Bench Production: Memphis got 32 points from its bench, the 14^th time the Tigers have eclipsed 30-plus point from the reserves.
Rebounding: Memphis got outrebounded, 36-30, including a 13-12 mark on the offensive glass.
- Just one player managed to haul in five or more rebounds.
Ball Movement: Memphis dished out only 11 assists, its third fewest of the conference season.
Sincere Parker finished with a game-high 20 points and three rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
- He has scored double figures in seven of his last eight full games played and now has 20+ points in four of the last seven outings.
- Parker scored 18 of his 20 points after halftime, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-6 at the stripe.
- He was the only Tiger to make multiple
Julius Thedford finished with 12 points and three rebounds in 29 minutes.
- He has reached double figures three times in the last four games.
Curtis Givens III recorded nine points and three dimes, while Aaron Bradshaw totaled eight points and four rebounds.
Dug McDaniel finished the night with six points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
- It's the third straight game he's finished with less than 10 points.

UP NEXT
Memphis makes its first-ever trip to Logan, Utah, on Saturday to face Utah State at 7 p.m. on Valentine's Day in a nonconference showdown on CBS Sports Network.

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.