No. 19 Memphis defeated Tulane 68-56 in a hard-fought game that was close until the final minutes. Memphis extended their winning streak to three, and improved to 17-4 on the season, 7-1 in conference play. Tulane fell to 11-10, 5-3 in the conference.
The game was a back and forth affair, but Memphis led 29-26 at halftime. They trailed for most of the first half before going on a 9-0 run to end the period.
The lead went back and forth again throughout the second half until Colby Rodgers hit two straight dagger threes to extend the lead to 10 with two minutes left. The Tigers’ defense was especially impressive during the last 4 minutes of the game.
Dain Dainja and PJ Carter both had amazing games once again. Dainja had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 8 for 11 from the floor. Carter added 14 points off the bench and made 4 threes. Colby Rodgers also played well and had 14 points along with 5 rebounds.
Tulane was led by guard Rowan Brumbaugh, who had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Kaleb Banks added 14 points and 5 rebounds as well.
The difference in the game was three-point shooting. The teams were similar in rebounding, assists and turnovers but there was a large disparity in shooting. Memphis shot 39.1% from three while Tulane struggled, shooting only 16.7%.
The Tigers struggled on offense after their 100-point performance last game against UAB. They shot 44.8% from the field and had 11 turnovers. Tulane switched in and out of a zone that really bothered them for a lot of the night. Despite this the Tigers played great defense, holding Tulane to 36.2% total shooting, and they forced 12 turnovers as well.
Memphis’s next game will be at Rice at 2 pm on Sunday on ESPN+. They are still tied with North Texas at first place in the American, with both teams being 7-1 in conference play.
