No. 18 Memphis fends off cussed effort by Rice

Dain Dainja had recreation highs of 25 factors and 10 rebounds as No. 18 Memphis pulled away within the final two minutes for an 84-72 American Athletic Convention win over visiting Rice on Wednesday evening.

PJ Haggerty added 21 factors and 5 assists for the Tigers (23-5, 13-2 AAC), whereas Nicholas Jourdain contributed 19 factors and 9 rebounds. Memphis shot 49.2 p.c from the sphere in securing a season sweep of the Owls.

Caden Powell scored 19 factors to steer 4 gamers in double figures for Rice (13-16, 4-12). Denver Anglin added 14 factors, Andrew Akuchie had 12 and Kellen Amos got here off the bench for 11.

Regardless of making solely 41.4 p.c from the sphere, the Owls had a official likelihood to drag the upset after Powell’s dunk tied the rating at 70 with 3:51 left. They even bought a cease and had possession with a chance to take the lead.

However a steal by Colby Rogers led to Tyrese Hunter’s brief jumper on the 2:39 mark. The bucket ignited a game-ending 14-2 run.

One pregame storyline was whether or not Memphis might push its convention result in 1 1/2 video games over idle North Texas and UAB. In the meantime, Rice was making an attempt to construct on a 71-50 win over Tulsa on Saturday that snapped a four-game shedding streak.

It was all Tigers within the first 5 minutes as they established Dainja for seven fast factors and a 13-3 lead. The margin was 12 when Rogers made two free throws on the 11:28 mark, and it appeared Memphis would have a straightforward recreation.

However the Owls hit them with a 12-2 run to drag inside 23-21 on Powell’s layup with 8:04 remaining. Memphis restored a nine-point benefit on two events earlier than settling for a 39-32 cushion on the break on a free throw by Haggerty with 5 seconds left.

–Area Degree Media