by Don Mooney
MEMPHIS, Tenn. Nov., 7 ,2023 – The University of Memphis men’s basketball team opened its season with a 94-77 win over Jackson State Monday night at FedExForum. The Tigers owned a 47-36 at the break and pulled away in the second half for a convincing win.
Memphis (1-0) shot 50.9 percent from the floor as a team (34-67) and led for over 35 minutes of game time.
Jaykwon Walton five Tigers in double figures behind a game-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals, while shooting 7-of-11 from the field. David Jones added 15 points, a pair of rebounds and three assists. Big man Jordon Brown came off the bench to drop 11 points, five boards and two blocks in 21 minutes.
Caleb Mills tallied 10 points and pulled down a team-high seven boards. Fifth-year center malcolm Dandridge got the start and finished with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting in 17 minutes.
The Tigers shot 46 percent from the floor, making 29 of 63 shots. Joining Evans in double-figure scoring were Chase Adams, COltie Young and keijuan Johnson, who scored 16, 13, and 10, respectively.
The two teams battled back and forth in the first half of the game, but then the Tigers used a 12-2 run to take a 12-7 lead into the game’s first media timeout.
The Tigers were sluggish out of the gate, turning the ball over 10 times in the first 11 minutes and falling behind by as many as six. Midway through the first half, Walton nailed a triple to spark a 10-0 run and put Memphis in front for good.
Jackson State (0-1) was led by Ken Evans’ 18 points and nine rebounds. JSU shot 46.0 percent overall (29-63) and hit 10-of-30 from long range.
The Tigers travel to Columbia, Missouri on Friday, Nov. 10 for a matchup with SEC opponent Missouri with tip scheduled for 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.