Dain Dainja had a monster game recording 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting grabbing eight rebounds. photo by Don Mooney
MEMPHIS – Was this a statement win for No. 24 University of Memphis men’s basketball team? Tigers slam the doors on UAB Sunday 100-77 inside the FedExForum. The win improves Memphis to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play dropping UAB to 12-8 and 5-2.
The Tigers shot a season-high 62.3 percent for the game, led by guard PJ Haggerty, who scored 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting. He just missed a double-double with nine assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Regular season fans show up with spirit and a sign. photo by Don Mooney
Efrem “Butta” Johnson was the bright spot for the Blazers in the first half, scoring 17 of his 21 points before the break. Johnson sparked a 10-2 UAB run to cut the Memphis advantage to just two points at 20-18. Memphis redshirt senior center Dain Dainja had a monster day in his return to the starting lineup, recording 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting grabbing eight rebounds. Fifth-year guard PJ Carter provided a spark off the bench with a season-high 14 points.
Memphis basketball alums honored during half time. photo by Don Mooney
Both teams got off to a slow start on the offensive end before the Tigers were abel to find some rhythm and build an 18-8 lead. The Tigers responded right away with a 9-1 run to push their lead back to double-digits. Johnson then hit threes on three-straight possessions, but UAB could not get stops on the defensive end and the Tigers maintained their lead.
Memphis led by as many as 14 points during the first half and PJ Haggerty’s bucket in the final seconds put the score at 52-39 at the half.The game was looked at as a battle of the top two teams in the AAC’s preseason poll, but after the first 10 minutes, it was clear Memphis was on a mission.
Guard PJ Carter lays up one of his 14 pts for the game. photo by Don Mooney
The Tigers came out of the gates clicking on all cylinders, dominating the board, and going 5-for-5 from the field to go up 18-8. UAB responded with back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to two points.
But from there, Memphis put its foot on the gas, scoring at will inside-and-out to take a 52-39 halftime lead. The Tigers made only 23 field goals on Thursday against Wichita State, but on Sunday, they had 21 in the first half.
Center Dain Dainja defending in the paint enroute to a double-double. by Don Mooney
The Tigers’ momentum continued coming out of the break, going 5-for-5 from the floor, stretching their lead to as many as 24 with 9:29 remaining. The closest UAB got the rest of the half was 13, but with Memphis shooting 70.8 percent in the half (17-24), there was no chance of an upset.
UAB entered the contest as the top-rebounding team in the conference at 41.3 boards per game, but Memphis controlled the glass 37-33. It was the second-fewest rebounds in a game for the Blazers this season and only the fourth time they’ve been out rebounded overall.
AAC player of the week PJ Haggerty drives to the basket during blowout win. photo by Don Mooney
UAB was led by 21 points (5-of-9 from three) from Efrem Johnson and a double-double from AAC preseason player of the year Yaxel Lendeborg – 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The score never got within 12 points during the second half as the Tigers were able to hold off any UAB runs. The Blazers’ had an opportunity to get back into the game with a late run starting at the 6:21 mark. After an intentional foul, the officials looked at a potential flagrant on Memphis and UAB was able to shoot four-straight free throws, connecting on all four. After a steal and an alley-oop to Lendeborg, the Memphis lead was cut to just 82-69 and the Blazers had a look at three to cut it to 10 but could not connect. Memphis was able to pull away in the final minutes to take the contest by a score of 100-77.
Memphis wraps up the first half of its conference season next week with a pair of road trips. The Tigers will first trek to the Big Easy to face Tulane on Thursday at 8 p.m., before heading to Houston for their first visit to Rice as AAC members on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip.