The Memphis Tigers defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 75-68 in a close game the whole way.
The Tigers claimed their 15th win of the season and their 5th conference win.
Tigers Senior forward Deandre Williams led the way with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Kendric Davis also finished with 21 points for the Tigers.
The defense was the game's name for the Tigers to get the win against the Bearcats. The game proved to be physical as both teams knew the importance of the win.
The game saw three technical fouls. Two on Memphis from Kendric Davis and DeAndre Williams, and one on Cincinnati from former Memphis Tiger Landers Nolley II.
The game was important for both teams as the main storylines for this game were Nolley facing his former team and the Cincinnati perimeter shooting versus an injured Memphis team.
Before the game Coach Penny Hardaway said, “For me, Cincinnati has been a thorn in my side my entire career, as a player and as a coach. We’ve gotten the best of those guys the last couple of years up there. They’re going to be roaring to go. They’re going to be ready. You know, they got Landers now and he’s got, you know, this game circled on his calendar.”
In the first half, you can tell the Tigers took his words to heart as they held the Bearcats to only 8 percent from a 3-point range and 34 percent from the field in the first half.
On the other hand, the Tigers shot 52 percent from the field and 30 percent from the three.
The second half was more of the same as the first half. The Tigers shot 43 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line. The Bearcats bounced back by shooting 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point line.
The Tigers emphasized playing the perimeter by getting Cincinnati to try to beat them in the paint. Which was important as Cincinnati is the best perimeter shooting team in the AAC.
With the Tigers missing key pieces such as Alex Lomax and Malcolm Dandridge, this win gives Memphis a lot of momentum going forward.
The Tigers now look ahead to facing SMU, especially Tigers guard Kendric Davis, as he gets ready to face his former team at the FedExForum.
The game will take place on January 26th at 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
