Tigers Push No. 1 Purdue to the Brink in Baha Mar Battle
NASSAU, Bahamas - Memphis entered Thursday night’s matchup with No. 1 Purdue as a heavy underdog. What the Tigers delivered instead was their most inspired performance of the young season, one that fell just short in an 80-71 loss in the opening round of the Baha Mar Championship.
Purdue (5-0) knocked down 11 three-pointers and made the key plays late to pull away, but not before Memphis (1-3) led for more than 15 minutes and held a 64-63 advantage with 6:37 remaining. The Tigers’ upset bid unraveled moments later when center Aaron Bradshaw was assessed a technical foul after an exchange with Oscar Cluff that sent Bradshaw face down on the floor. Following a review, the technical stood and Bradshaw fouled out with 7:54 to play. Purdue closed the game on a decisive 17-7 run.
Senior point guard Dug McDaniel was outstanding, posting 18 points, six assists, six rebounds and just one turnover. Zach Davis, making his first start as a Tiger, added 11 points. Sincere Parker and Tariq Ingraham each scored 10, and Julius Thedford gave Memphis strong minutes off the bench with five rebounds.
The Tigers punched first, racing to a 13-4 lead behind early 3-pointers from McDaniel, Davis and Ashton Hardaway. Purdue answered with a 17-4 run of its own, but Memphis refused to wilt, even after a banked-in, off-balance 3-pointer from All-American point guard Braden Smith at the halftime buzzer put the Boilermakers ahead 36-35.
Memphis opened the second half with five quick points and forced Purdue into eight consecutive misses during one stretch, showcasing the grit that Penny Hardaway’s become accustomed to seeing from his squads.
But a late offensive drought kept Memphis from building on its advantage, and Purdue’s experience with big shots from the outside swung the momentum. After the Tigers held a 64-61 lead with 7:01 remaining, the Boilermakers closed strong, hitting seven of their final 12 attempts while Memphis managed just two of its last 14.
Despite the loss, Memphis scored 38 points in the paint, grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and held Smith, a preseason All-American, to five points on 2-for-14 shooting. It was his second fewest points scored in the last two seasons, and the lowest since Nov. 23, 2024 against Marshall (0).
Fletcher Loyer paced the Boilermakers with 20 points, while Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out late. C.J. Cox supplied four 3-pointers and 18 points, part of a long-range barrage that proved to be the difference.
The Tigers move into Friday’s consolation game, where they will face Wake Forest (6 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network).