In one of the more bizarre contests of the season, Memphis took down preseason C-USA favorite Louisiana Tech 81-71. The Tigers triumphed despite giving up 13 threes in a game where they looked a tad sluggish at times.
“The hangover from Hawaii still stood in the way,” said Penny Hardaway. “We knew that this was going to be their national championship game.”
There were a lot of early signs that the result would be a blowout, the Bulldogs turned the ball over five times before they even attempted a shot. Memphis finished with 13 steals, including a career-high seven from PJ Haggerty.
All of these early turnovers manifested into a 7-0 run that was quickly erased once Louisiana Tech settled into the game.
The Bulldogs kept themselves in the contest at the three-point line. Memphis left shooters wide open to put pressure on the ball (which is what caused all the turnovers). As a result, Louisiana Tech drained eight threes in the first half, highlighted by Al Green who hit five for the game.
The Tigers, who led the country in three-point percentage coming into this game, struggled to match the production of their opponents, shooting only 1-9.
They opted to play in the paint and at the line, which is how they managed to keep the game close, but the Bulldogs pulled ahead to a 38-37 halftime lead.
After halftime, the infamous second-period Tigers came to play. After a bit of back and forth, Memphis surged behind their electric guards PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter, pushing the lead as high as 11.
From here, the Bulldogs would hang around like they did all game. They whittled the lead in mere minutes back to 63-63 with 7:08 left in the game, thanks in large part to Sean Newman Jr., who finished with a whopping 11 assists.
In the end, the Tigers had enough left in the tank as they pushed out a little bit more production on offense to give Memphis the win. “You’re lucky to win games like these,” said Hardaway.
The Tigers are back in action at FedEx Forum on Sunday against Arkansas State at 3 p.m on ESPNU.
