The Memphis Tigers fell to the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals, 99–73, in a lopsided road loss at the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday (12/13). Memphis struggled to contain Louisville’s hot shooting, as the Cardinals knocked down 18 three-pointers and built a commanding lead early, outscoring Memphis 57–37 in the first half and never looking back. Louisville improved to 9-1 with the victory, while Memphis dropped to 4-5.
For the Tigers, Hasan Abdul Hakim led the team with 18 points, and Dug McDaniel added 16, but Memphis shot just 27% from three and couldn’t keep pace offensively. Louisville’s balanced attack featured multiple double-figure scorers, with Ryan Conwell scoring 17 and Adrian Wooley contributing 15. The Cardinals’ efficiency from deep and strong overall shooting proved decisive against a Memphis squad that had just snapped a four-game skid.
From the University of Memphis Press Release:
Memphis (4-5) competed early before Louisville found its rhythm from long range in the opening half. The Cardinals leaned heavily on perimeter shooting, accounting for 12 of their 17 made field goals from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes to open up a 57-37 halftime margin. Louisville sustained that momentum after the break to secure the win.
Hasan Abdul Hakim led Memphis with 18 points, scoring 17 in the opening half in his return to the lineup. Dug McDaniel finished with 16 points, including 12 after halftime, while Sincere Parker added 12.
The Tigers stayed within single digits midway through the opening half, but Louisville’s efficiency from deep created separation as the Cardinals finished the game with 18 three-pointers.
Ryan Conwell led the Cardinals with 17 points and was one of four Louisville players with at least three triples. Adrian Wooley added 15 points after going 5-of-8 from distance.
POSTGAME NOTES
Memphis opened with a starting lineup of Dug McDaniel, Zach Davis, Hasan Abdul Hakim, Aaron Bradshaw and Simon Majok. It marked the team's seventh different starting group this season.Memphis dropped to 55-36 in the all-time series against Louisville.
The 18 three-pointers by the Cardinals are the most Memphis has allowed in a game since at least 1996-97.
The Tigers got outrebounded 34-33 but managed to grab 16 offensive boards and score 21 second-chance points. It marks the 23rd-straight game with nine-plus offensive rebounds for Memphis, which is tied with Rutgers for the longest active streak in Division I.The Tigers now have three games this season with 20 or more second-chance points, matching their total from all of last season. The Tigers, who entered the game leading the American with an average of 34.6 bench points per game, got just 24 points Saturday from their reserves. Memphis has scored 156 points from the bench over the last four games. Memphis dished out eight assists and turned the ball over 11 times, the third-fewest miscues of the season. After holding opponents to an average of 29.5 first-half points over the previous three games, Memphis surrendered 57 in the opening half, the most allowed by the Tigers in a half this season. Hasan Abdul Hakim paced the Tigers with 18 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals in just his second start as a Tiger. Hakim scored 17 of those points in the first half after scoring just seven points in his first two games this season. Dug McDaniel added 16 points, two rebounds and two steals in a team-high 33 minutes. He was 6-of-6 from the free throw line and scored 12 of his points after halftime. McDaniel has reached 11 or more points in all but one game this season, but failed to record an assist for the first time since Dec. 21, 2024.He reached 1,200 career points in the contest. Sincere Parker was the third Tiger in double figures with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes off the bench.He and Ashton Hardaway paced Memphis with three assists each.
UP NEXT
Memphis will have two big contests next week. The Tigers will return home on Wednesday (Dec. 17) to host No. 15 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. on ESPN2, before making the trek down to Starkville, Mississippi to play Mississippi State on Saturday (Dec. 20) at 3 p.m. on ESPN.