For the second straight game, the Tigers were crashing another team’s senior day. However, unlike the game against UConn, Memphis would not spoil Cincinnati’s senior day.
The Bearcats got off to a 21-4 start, and while Memphis cut the lead to 24-15 with 6:11 left in the first half they would never get any closer. Cincinnati defeated Memphis 77-65 in the Tigers’ final game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.
Even though Memphis (18-13, 10-8 American Athletic Conference) made a game of it, the Tigers still trailed the Bearcats (22-9, 13-5 AAC) 34-21 at halftime. The Tigers are now 0-7 this season when trailing at the break.
Shaq Goodwin scored a season-high 22 points on 9-11 shooting, including two three-point makes. He also had eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in the loss. This was Goodwin’s 100th game for the Blue and Gray.
Goodwin helped lead a resurgent Tigers’ offensive effort in the second half, and for the game Memphis shot 48 percent from the field.
However, the Tigers’ defense in the opening part of the first half made a comeback a near impossible task. Overall, the Bearcats shot 50 percent for the game, and made six three-pointers, going 5-10 from long range in the first half.
Cincinnati also had its way with Memphis on the boards, outrebounding the Tigers 33-23. Though, Memphis would outscore Cincinnati 38-24 in the paint.
Senior Calvin Godfrey who once again got the start ahead of the injured Austin Nichols again had a solid game in the loss. He finished with 14 points and four rebounds in 31 minutes.
Trahson Burrell and Kedren Johnson who were both key to the Tigers’ win over UConn on Thursday struggled as they shot 6-19, and combined for only 16 points. Johnson did finish with seven assists, but also committed four turnovers.
Another guard who went cold today was Avery Woodson. His shot has been off lately, and it showed again as he went 0-6 for the game, and 0-4 from three-point range. The Tigers as a team struggled from long range, shooting 4-17 for the game.
Cincinnati got scoring from a variety of places as four players scored in double figures in their victory. They were led by forward Octavius Ellis who had an impressive 19-point, 12-rebound performance. Especially, since he only scored two points in the last matchup between the Tigers and Bearcats, which Memphis won 63-51 on Jan. 15.
For the second game in a row, the Tigers were outscored at the free throw line by a considerable margin. Cincinnati shot 23-29 from the charity stripe, while Memphis shot just 9-15.
The good news for Memphis is despite the loss, because of UConn’s loss to Temple on Saturday they secured a first-round bye in the AAC Tournament. Memphis will take on Temple in the AAC quarterfinals.
In their first matchup on Feb. 7, Temple’s Josh Brown hit a game-winner to give the Owls a 62-61 victory over the Tigers at FedExForum.
Memphis’ rematch with Temple is on Friday, and will take place at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, the sight of this year’s AAC Tournament.
