Memphis survived a trap game, barely.
The 23rd-ranked Tigers lost on the road in overtime to nationally-ranked Georgetown last Saturday. They have No. 11 Syracuse coming in this weekend. They beat Arkansas-Little Rock 59-51 on Wednesday night, avoiding the upset trap.
“We just weren’t prepared,” said Robert Dozier, who led Memphis (6-2) with 15 points. “Guys came in during the warmups and the layup line, and you could kind of see it. Guys were just going through the motions or weren’t going hard. We just all around weren’t prepared. We played sloppy.”
UALR (7-3) got within five points on several occasions late, but Memphis was able to hold on down the stretch, despite not scoring from the field over the final 8:07.
“Guys are tentative,” Tigers coach John Calipari said. “They’re not confident enough that they can finish the play. Why? Because they just missed three layups.”
Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field and Memphis was 3-of-20 from 3-point range.
“If we weren’t this good defensively,” Calipari said. “This would be scary.”
dnesday, it was: No. 3 Pittsburgh 79, Siena 66; No. 6 Duke 99, North Carolina-Asheville 56; No. 11 Syracuse 82, Canisius 60; No. 14 UCLA 75, Loyola Marymount 44; No. 17 Ohio State 81, Jacksonville 68; and No. 19 Michigan State 79, The Citadel 65.
In Memphis, Tenn., the Tigers appeared to be in control, leading by 18 points with just under 10 minutes left. But a rally by the Trojans that included 3-pointers from Curtis Jackson, Matt Mouzy and Steven Moore cut the deficit to 51-45 with 2:26 left.
“I thought we had a little bit more poise,” Trojans coach Steve Shields said. “I was proud of our guys from a tenacity standpoint. We were down 18 at one point and continued to fight through a very talented and well-coached team.”
Moore led UALR with 16 points.
“I thought we did a good job of staying with our goal of keeping them off the offensive glass and closing gaps,” Shields said. “You know there is little margin for error.
“Early in the second half, we turned the ball over.”
Memphis freshman guard Tyreke Evans said he didn’t get nervous as the Trojans cut into the lead.
“We knew we were supposed to win that game,” he said.
Then there’s the one this weekend against the Orange.
“We definitely can’t come out and play like this,” Dozier said, “or we’ll be behind 20 at home. They are going to come in here swinging.”
No. 3 Pittsburgh 79, Siena 66
ittsburgh, DeJuan Blair had 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Panthers (11-0), who started the second half with a 16-3 run that gave them a 53-32 lead. Pitt won its 37th consecutive home game against a nonconference opponent and its 86th in its last 88 at home outside the Big East.
Clarence Jackson and Edwin Ubiles had 12 points each for the Saints (5-4), who had won three straight.
No. 6 Duke 99, UNC Asheville 56
At Durham, N.C., Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler both scored 14 points and Jon Scheyer added 13 for the Blue Devils (9-1), who used an early 27-8 run to coast to their 65th consecutive nonconference victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Reid Augst, the only senior on the roster, scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (4-6), who lost their sixth straight against Division I opponents and fell to 0-50 all-time against Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
No. 11 Syracuse 82, Canisius 60
At Syracuse, N.Y., reserve Rick Jackson scored a career-high 14 points and Paul Harris added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Orange (10-1), who rebounded from their first loss of the season which came on Cedric Jackson’s buzzer-beating shot from beyond halfcourt that gave Cleveland State a 72-69 victory Monday night.
Frank Turner had 18 points for the visiting Golden Griffins (3-7), who have lost four straight.
No. 14 UCLA 75, Loyola Marymount 44
oll scored 12 points, hitting four of UCLA’s season-high 11 3-pointers, and Darren Collison added 11 points for the Bruins (7-2), who have won three straight since a four-point loss at Texas on Dec. 4.
LaRon Armstead scored a career-high 18 points for the Lions (0-11), off to their worst start since 1979-80 when they lost their first 20 games.
No. 17 Ohio St. 81, Jacksonville 68
At Columbus Ohio, David Lighty had 21 points for the Buckeyes (7-0), who led by 19 points early in the second half only to see the lead cut to five with 5 minutes left. Jon Diebler then hit his third 3-pointer for Ohio State, which finished 10-of-17 from beyond the arc (59 percent).
Lehmon Colbert had 14 points for the visiting Dolphins (2-6).
No. 19 Michigan St. 79, The Citadel 65
At East Lansing, Mich., Raymar Morgan was 11-for-12 from the field and had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans (7-2), who led by as many as 18 points in the first half then held on for their 38th straight nonconference home win.
Austin Dahn had 17 points, all but two on 3-pointers, for the Bulldogs (5-6), who finished 10-for-25 from 3-point range.
Add A Comment