The Memphis Tigers defeated the Little Rock Trojans 87-71 in an affair that was dominated defensively by the Tigers.
The Tigers were led in scoring by DeAndre Williams with 17 points and Jayden Hardaway with a career-high 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Alex Lomax also contributed 10 points and a season-high five steals to lead the game.
The win marked the Tigers’ fifth consecutive win and fourth win at home this season.
The Tigers controlled the game by winning the steals battle 16 to 6, which set a season-high for steals. The defensive affair pushed the transition game for the Tigers, which gave the Tigers a lead of 23 midway through the second half.
It was at the ten-minute mark of the second half where things began to get chippy between the two teams.
The Tigers were developing the offense when the possession was stopped by officials as guards Kendric Davis and D.J. Smith butted heads. The officials took multiple minutes to review the situation, and Kendric Davis was ejected.
When asked about the situation, Hardaway told reporters that he does not expect Kendric Davis to be disciplined because of the altercation, but the team will wait and see for a decision from the conference.
Minutes later, Tigers guard Alex Lomax committed a hard foul to stop a Little Rock fast break.
The foul rubbed some of the Trojans players wrong as the bench began to confront Lomax as both teams would eventually need to be separated.
When asked about the altercations, Coach Hardaway told reporters that situations like that are part of the game, and he does not blame Little Rock for trying to get under his team’s skin.
Hardaway and the Tigers will look ahead to the next two games on the road as they face #11 Auburn this Saturday and #8 Alabama next Tuesday.
