by Don Mooney
Curtis Givens III led the Tigers with 12 points, connecting on 5-of-12 shooting and knocking down two three-pointers. photo by Don Mooney
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – An ugly win is still a win! Offense was hard to come by early, as both teams combined to shoot just 27.3 percent from the field through the first four minutes. Memphis men’s basketball leaned on toughness and timely execution Wednesday night, holding on to defeat Temple 55-53 at FedExForum.
The win improved the Tigers to 8-8 overall and 3-1 in American Conference play, snapping Temple’s seven-game winning streak and dropping the Owls to 11-6 and 3-1. The result also moved Memphis into a five-way tie for first place in the league standings.
photo by Don Mooney
Curtis Givens III led the Tigers with 12 points, connecting on 5-of-12 shooting and knocking down two three-pointers. Sincere Parker added 10 points and five rebounds, while Zach Davis chipped in six points.
Memphis led 29-22 at the break, getting first-half points from nine different players. Former Temple Owl Quante Berry and Parker paced the Tigers with five points each.
The momentum carried into the second half, where Memphis used a decisive 12-3 run to stretch a four-point advantage into a 45-32 lead with 12:25 remaining. Givens III sparked the stretch, scoring eight points in a span of 70 seconds.
Sincere Parker added 10 points and five rebounds. photo by Don Mooney
Temple used an 11-5 run to cut the deficit to 53-49 with 3:48 remaining, allowing just two made field goals over the final 8:31 of play. Derrian Ford twice trimmed the margin to two, converting a pair of free throws and later knocking down a pull-up jumper.Temple responded with a late push, pulling within two points in the final minutes, but Parker delivered a driving layup with 1:13 to play to extend the advantage to four and help seal the win.
The Tigers secured the victory despite adversity, including the loss of starting center Aaron Bradshaw, who exited in the first half with an injury and did not return. photo by Don Mooney
For Temple Gavin Griffiths led all scorers with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks. photo by Don Mooney
For Temple, Gavin Griffiths led all scorers with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Derrian Ford added 14 points, while Aiden Tobiason posted 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.