by Don Mooney 2-26-2023 11:00 pm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Cincinnati turned a 15-point first-half deficit into a two-point game late, but Memphis made the plays it needed for a 76-73 defeat on Sunday afternoon in the FedExForum. With the victory, the Tigers improved to 22-7 overall and 11-4 in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play, while the Bearcats fell to 19-11 on the year and to 10-7 in league action.
The Tigers were led by Kendric Davis’ 22 points. He connected on 6-of-6 at the line and swiped three steals. Running mate DeAndre Williams added 21 points, a team-high seven rebounds, matched his career high with five steals and blocked a team-high three balls. After the game was tied at 11 almost eight minutes into the action, Memphis jumped on the Bearcats and rode that momentum the rest of the half.
Alex Lomax sparked the Tigers with back-to-back steals against former teammate Landers Nolley after sneaking up from behind to swipe the ball from his grip. Both picks led to fastbreak layups and ignited the Memphis faithful.
There was no separation until back-to-back Cincinnati turnovers led to fast break Tiger points, giving them a 16-11 lead and forcing a timeout at 11:56. Memphis ultimately made eight of nine field goals for a 31-16 lead at 7:20.
Memphis shot 51.4 percent and committed only two turnovers to lead 41-30 at the half. Cincinnati was 44.4 percent with 11 turnovers, a stark contrast from its 10.6 per game that ranked 22nd nationally.
The Tigers are in second place in the AAC standings heading into the last week of the regular season, 1.5 games ahead of Tulane (10-5). Houston wrapped up the regular season crown at 15-1, and the Cougars will be in Memphis next Sunday for the regular-season finale.
