Coach Josh Pastner said after the Tigers' loss to Tulsa on Saturday that the law of averages would eventually balance out for his team.
Most people thought that he meant next season, but Shaq Goodwin got some lady luck on a game-winning jumper with 8.1 seconds to go to give the Memphis Tigers a 54-53 victory over the UConn Huskies on Thursday night, and complete the season sweep of the defending national champions.
The win puts Memphis (18-12, 10-7 American Athletic Conference) back in the fifth spot in the AAC standings ahead of UConn (17-12, 10-7 AAC), if the season ended today the fifth spot would earn the Tigers a first round bye in the AAC Tournament next week.
Memphis won this game without the services of Austin Nichols who is out for the remainder of the AAC regular season and conference tournament with a sprained right ankle, but there were players who would step up in his place.
Trahson Burrell who Pastner criticized a few weeks ago for being too passive, showed he was well and over the “junior college wall.” He scored a career-high 22 points on 9-19 shooting, and shot 4-7 from three-point range.
He provided much needed offense for a Tigers team that shot only 40 percent from the field for the game, and Burrell was responsible for four of their six three-point makes on the night.
Another player who continues to show signs of improvement is point guard Kedren Johnson. He had one of his best all-around games of the season as he finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists and most importantly no turnovers.
Senior Calvin Godfrey who got the start in place of Nichols, provided excellent energy for the Tigers. He finished the game with eight points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes.
Goodwin despite making the game winner did not have one of his best games of the season, but was important nonetheless. He finished with eight points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes of play.
Despite holding UConn to just 28 percent shooting from the field, the Huskies stayed in the game due to their ability to get to the free throw line. While some of the foul calls on the Tigers may have been controversial they were still called, and UConn took advantage. They went to the line 22 times tonight, and shot 18-22. The Tigers went there just twice, going 2-2.
For the second time this season, the Tigers’ defense did a solid job of limiting the AAC’s leading scorer UConn senior Ryan Boatright. On his senior night, Memphis held him to just 14 points on 4-13 shooting.
UConn center Amida Brimah made life difficult for Memphis in the paint as he blocked seven shots in the loss, six of them coming in the first half.
Memphis will close out their AAC regular season schedule when they take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Fifth Third Arena on Sunday. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m., and CBS will televise the game.
