#18 Memphis Picks Up Important Road Win at UAB BIRMINGHAM, Ala – On the second day of March, the No. 18 University of Memphis men's basketball team walked into Bartow Arena and provided the kind of drama you'd expect in two weeks. By the end of it, it was celebration time in the Memphis locker room.
The Tigers trailed for nearly 26 minutes and fell behind by as many as 11, but when it mattered most, they battled from behind to take down American Athletic Conference preseason favorite UAB, 88-81, Sunday afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama.
Memphis improved to 24-5 overall and 14-2 in league play to remain on top of the AAC standings with two games to go. The 14 league victories are the most in a season for the program since 2012-13 when they finished 16-0.
The Tigers can clinch a share of the conference regular season crown with a win on Tuesday at UTSA or a North Texas loss on Monday night.
Memphis was led, once again, by its two-headed monster in PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja.
Haggerty scored a game-high 25 points with four assists, while Dainja recorded his third-straight double-double with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Colby Rogers was also in his bag, catching fire from behind the arc with five triples and 21 points. Tyrese Hunter also finished in double figures with 13 points.
The game was sloppy out of the gate with Memphis turning the ball over eight times in the first 12 minutes. UAB took advantage of the miscues and built a 30-19 lead with 5:32 remaining in the half.
The Tigers began chipping away at the deficit as back-to-back buckets from Haggerty and Dainja spearheaded a 12-3 Memphis run over the next three minutes to pull within two.
The Blazers (19-10, 12-4) connected on their final three field goal attempts of the half to take a 42-36 lead into the break.
The second half was a different story as the Tigers came out firing. They hit five of their first six shots, with Rogers draining a 3-pointer on both ends of the run to grab their first lead (48-47) since 15:15 of the first half. Four minutes later, however, UAB was back in front by nine with 12 minutes to play.
From that point on, it was all Memphis. Haggerty scored 13 of the Tigers’ 15 points over the next six minutes, aided by back-to-back steals, to go back in front, 73-69.
Memphis continued to put its foot on the gas, going on a 13-1 run in the final four minutes, taking its largest lead of the game at 12 points, ultimately sealing the victory.
UAB was led by 22 points and five assists from Ja’Borri McGhee.
Memphis shot 52.9 percent for the game, but it was a 22-of-33 (66.7%) effort in the second half that allowed the come-from-behind win.
POSTGAME NOTES
Memphis used the starting lineup of PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers, Nicholas Jourdain and Dain Dainja for the 12th time this season. They are 11-1 on the year with that group. The Tigers moved to 12-3 this season on courts away from home, including 10-2 in true road games. The 10 road wins are the most in a season for Memphis since 2008-09.Memphis is 83-11 under Penny Hardaway when reaching 80 points in a game. That includes a 23-9 record on the road. Memphis is 42-12 all-time against UAB, including 15-10 in Birmingham. The Tigers have won 21 of the last 23 in the series dating back to 2006.Memphis dominated the boards, 44-32, against a team that ranked 11th in the country in rebounding (40.4).UAB was the 2nd-ranked offensive rebounding team in the nation coming in at 14.9, but Memphis allowed just 10 on Sunday. The Tigers outscored the Blazers, 48-40, in the paint. Memphis grabbed 15 offensive boards and tied its season-high with 21 second-chance points. It’s the fifth-consecutive game with 15 or more offensive rebounds for the Tigers. The Tigers had their first negative assist/turnover ratio since Jan. 23 against Wichita State, after finishing with 11 assists and 13 turnovers.
Dain Dainja pulled down his third-straight double-double with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in 31 minutes. The big man was 8-of-15 from the floor and has now scored at least 16 points in eight of the last 10 games. He carried the Tigers in the first half with 10 points and 11 boards. Dainja is averaging 21.0 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks over the last three games. PJ Haggerty dropped a game-high 25 points with four dimes in 37 minutes. It’s his ninth game of 25+ points this season and his 20th with 20 or more. He shot 9-of-16 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the stripe. Haggerty recorded 17 of his points and all four assists in the second half. Colby Rogers poured in 21 points, his most since Dec. 28 against Ole Miss. He accounting for all of Memphis’ three-pointers, going 5-of-9 from long distance. The 21 points are his third-most of the season. Memphis improved to 5-0 on the year when Rogers scores 16 or more. Tyrese Hunter finished with 11 points and five rebounds. He shot 5-of-10 from the field. Nicholas Jourdain came up big with nine points and five rebounds, including two huge ones on the offensive end that led to crucial putbacks. Moussa Cisse provided some huge minutes off the bench when Dainja got in foul trouble. The big man finished with four points, seven boards and a massive block in the final minutes.
UP NEXT
The Tigers hit the home stretch this week with the final two games of the regular season. They will be back in action at 6 p.m. Tuesday in San Antonio against UTSA before returning home at 8 p.m. Friday to host South Florida on senior night. Full analysis on 92.9 FM ESPN, Memphis' Sports Station.
