Late Rally Falls Short as Men’s Basketball Loses at Memphis, 86-77

Sunday, February 12

Memphis, Tenn.

12:00 P.M.

Temple University

14-12,8-5AAC

Memphis

19-6,9-3AAC

Temple

Memphis

Late Rally Falls Short as Men’s Basketball Loses at Memphis, 86-77

2.12.23 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS – It was not a "Super Sunday" for Temple as Memphis used a 9-0 run early in the second half to break open a close contest and held off a late charge by the Owls for a key American Athletic Conference 86-77 win at the FedEx Forum Sunday. It was the third straight loss for Temple, which falls to 14-12, 8-5 in AAC play. Memphis improves to 19-6, 9-3 AAC.

Trailing by 18 following the Tigers run, the Owls would cut the deficit down to four (69-65) courtesy of a 16-2 run, but Memphis would eventually push the lead back to double figures in closing out the win.

DeAndre Williams led the way for the Tigers with 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, which improved to 19-6, 9-3 in the AAC. Kendrick Davis added 21 points.

Khalif Battle topped the Owls with 25 points, his fifth straight 20-point game, while Hysier Miller (15 pts), Zach Hicks (12) and Nick Jourdain (10) all topped double figures.

First Half
> Temple would shoot 52 percent from the field (13-25), but the Owls would turn the ball over 11 times in the half in falling behind by three at the break (36-33).
> Miller led the way for the Owls with nine first half points while Williams was a force for the Tigers, scoring 17 in the frame on 7-10 shooting.
> Memphis held the largest lead in the period, 33-26, with just over two minutes to play on a layup by Elijah McCadden, but Zach Hicks answered quickly with a three.
> The Owls would cut it to one, 34-33, on a Miller layup, but McCadden ended the scoring with a layup.

Second Half
> Memphis opened the second half with seven straight points, the last a Williams layup to make the score 43-33.
> The big run would start a few minutes later when the Tigers scored nine straight, the first five by Davis, to put the home team ahead 62-45 with 11:30 to play.
> After Memphis increased its lead to 18 on a Davis three-point play (67-49), Temple would surge back with 12 straight points, four by Jamille Reynolds, to cut it to six, 67-61, with just under eight remaining.
> Following a Davis layup, the Owls would make it a four-point game, 69-65, following free throws by Battle and a Jourdain dunk.
> Memphis would not break, however, and slowly start to extend its lead. The Tigers would score six straight to push the lead back to double figures, 82-70, on a Jayden Hardaway layup with 1:37 on the clock.
> The Owls would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way in dropping their third straight game.

Game Notes
> Jahlil White, the Owls top defender and leading rebounder in AAC play (6.4 rpg), missed the contest due to lower back pain.
> Battle made all seven free throws to extend his current streak to 34 straight made. He passed Khalif Wyatt (32 straight, 2012-13 season) in today's game. Shizz Alston, Jr. (52 straight, 2017-18 season) and Lynn Greer (49, 2000-01) are one-two on the list.
> Damian Dunn scored nine points but dished a game and career-high eight assists.

Up Next
> Temple returns to the Liacouras Center for a Thursday tilt against Wichita State (7 pm/ESPN+/1210 AM WPHT).