Tigers Open Season with 94-77 Win
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men's basketball team opened its season with a 94-77 win over Jackson State Monday night at FedExForum. The Tigers owned a 47-36 at the break and pulled away in the second half for a convincing win.
Memphis (1-0) shot 50.9 percent from the floor as a team (34-67) and led for over 35 minutes of game time.
Jaykwon Walton led five Tigers in double figures behind a game-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals, while shooting 7-of-11 from the field. David Jones added 15 points, a pair of rebounds and three assists.
Big man Jordan Brown came off the bench to drop 11 points, five boards and two blocks in 21 minutes.
Caleb Mills tallied 10 points and pulled down a team-high seven boards. Fifth-year center Malcolm Dandridge got the start and finished with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting in 17 minutes.
The Tigers were sluggish out of the gate, turning the ball over 10 times in the first 11 minutes and falling behind by as many as six. Midway through the first half, Walton nailed a triple to spark a 10-0 run and put Memphis in front for good.
Jackson State (0-1) was led by Ken Evans’ 18 points and nine rebounds. JSU shot 46.0 percent overall (29-63) and hit 10-of-30 from long range.
POSTGAME NOTES
Memphis opened its 103rd season of basketball with Monday’s win. The Tigers used the starting lineup of Jahvon Quinerly, Jaykwon Walton, David Jones, Nick Jourdain and Jordan Brown. Walton collected the Tigers’ first points of the season with a pair of free throws just 12 seconds into the game after getting fouled on an attempted poster dunk. The Tigers won their 21st-straight home opener and sixth-straight season opener. Memphis collected 21 assists and forced 23 Jackson State miscues. The Tigers had 15 steals in the win, with Walton, Quinerly and Jayhlon Young each swiping three. Memphis shot 15-of-24 at the charity stripe for a 65.2 percent mark. Jayden Hardaway connected on all four of his attempts to lead the team. The Tigers outscored JSU 46-26 in the paint and 26-12 off turnovers. Ten different players scored in their season debut.
UP NEXT
The Tigers travel to Columbia, Missouri on Friday, Nov. 10 for a matchup with SEC opponent Missouri with tip scheduled for 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.
