HOUSTON (AP) — Landers Nolley II scored 20 points and Jalen Duren had 14 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis rallied past No. 6 Houston 69-59 on Saturday and snapped the Cougars’ 37-game home winning streak.
DeAndre Williams and Lester Quinones each scored 13 points as the Tigers (14-8, 8-4 American) won their fifth straight.
“Obviously, there was a lot of emotion coming in and after the game, I’m just excited, happy,” Duren said. “I know it was a big game for us. I know I had show up. I know I had to come with all I could, and I tried to do it to the best of my abilities.”
Houston also lost its second straight after a 12-game winning streak. It’s the first time Houston has lost consecutive games since January 2017, when they lost three in a row.
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway called the victory his most vindicated because of Houston’s win streak and national ranking.
“We came in locked and focused all week,” Hardaway said. “I was trying to keep the guys focused on Tulane, but I could tell they were antsy to get to this game because Houston has been the standard in our league.”
The Tigers shot 47% and were 9 of 22 on 3-pointers and 18 of 19 on free throws.
Fabian White Jr. and Taze Moore each had 15 points, and Jamal Shead added 12 points for Houston (20-4, 9-2). Houston entered with three straight wins over the Tigers.
“Most of the guys that we have weren’t here last year and I think that matters,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “The guys that beat those guys are gone. … We’ve got guys that have never played in this rivalry. I don’t know if it’s preparation or the want to, but you have to give credit to Memphis.”
The Cougars shot 46% and hit 7 of 23 from the arc. Houston finished with a season-high-tying 19 turnovers.
“There’s two basketball teams out there, Houston and Memphis,” Sampson said. “I think we can beat Memphis. Memphis can certainly beat us. What we can’t do is beat both teams. When you have 19 turnovers you are playing against two teams. We’re not good enough to beat both teams.”
Trailing 53-48, Memphis went on a 15-0 run to take a 63-53 lead on two free throws by Nolley with 1:16 remaining. Memphis made seven straight free throws to end the run.
“It was toughness, it was effort, it was unselfishness,” Hardaway said of the game-deciding run. “It was the will to win. It was everything that you needed to do to play against Houston and win in any place, especially on their home floor.”
Memphis jumped to a 15-4 lead capped by a free throw by Josh Minott with 14 minutes remaining in the first half. Houston answered with a 13-2 run to tie it at 17 on a 3-pointer by Edwards with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
The Cougars finished with a 14-4 run, taking a 31-28 lead at the break on a 3-pointer by White.
BIG PICTURE
Memphis: The Tigers strengthened their NCAA Tournament resume with the Quadrant 1 win. … Memphis finished with 19 turnovers. … The Tigers outrebounded Houston 30-26.
Houston: The Cougars’ two straight losses hurt their NCAA Tournament resume after the Cougars’ win streak, and there are few opportunities left for quality wins. … Houston had a 32-18 advantage in points in the paint.
FACES IN THE CROWD
In attendance for the game were NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy, Houston Rockets guards Jalen Green and Josh Christopher, New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner, and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tyus Bowser.
UP NEXT
Memphis: Travels to Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Houston: Hosts Central Florida on Thursday.
From the University of Memphis:
Tigers Earn Signature Win with 69-59 Victory at No. 6/7 Houston
HOUSTON – The Memphis Tigers picked up a statement win with a 69-59 victory over No. 6/7 Houston Saturday afternoon in Houston. The win is Memphis’ first on the road over a top-10 team since 2005, and the Tigers now have two top-10 wins on the year for the first time since 2013-14.
The Tigers also snapped Houston’s 37-game home winning streak, which was the second-longest in the nation.
Memphis (14-8, 8-4 American Athletic Conference) has won five-straight games. Houston is now 20-4 overall and 9-2 in AAC action, and the Cougars have lost back-to-back games for the first time in five seasons.
Trailing 53-48 with 5:05 to play, the Tigers ripped off 15-straight points to take a 63-53 lead with 1:02 to go and effectively seal the win. DeAndre Williams and Lester Quinones drained back-to-back 3-pointers, Jalen Duren slammed home a dunk, and Williams made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point try.
Alex Lomax and Landers Nolley II each made a pair of free throws after that, as the Tigers made all 13 of their free throws in the final 1:35. The Tigers missed their first free throw of the game before proceeding to make 18-in-a-row to close the contest.
Nolley II led the Tigers with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and Duren logged his third-straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Williams, playing in front of a hometown crowd, had 13 points, four assists and three steals, and Lester Quinones was also in double figures with 13 points.
Memphis forced 19 Houston turnovers, two off its season high.
The Tigers trailed at the half, 31-28.
Houston was led by Taze Moore and Fabian White Jr.’s 15 points apiece.
UP NEXT
The Tigers remain on the road at Cincinnati Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+ and at SMU next Sunday, Feb. 20, at 2 p.m. on ESPN. Memphis returns to FedExForum to face Temple on Thursday, Feb. 24 and Wichita State on Sunday, Feb. 27.
POSTGAME NOTES
Memphis used the starting lineup of Alex Lomax, Lester Quinones, Landers Nolley II, DeAndre Williams and Jalen Duren for the first time this season.Memphis has used 16 different starting lineups in 22 games this season, which is the most in the nation.Memphis last top-10 road win came at No. 9 Louisville on Feb. 9, 2005, 85-68.The Tigers had lost six-straight since.Memphis now leads the all-time series between the two schools, 34-20.The Tigers have a 13-10 advantage in games played in Houston.The Memphis win snapped Houston’s three-game winning streak in the series.The Tigers have won nine-straight games in February and are 18-7 in the month under head coach Penny Hardaway.Memphis is now 2-5 this season when trailing at halftime.The other win was its last road win, coming back to win at Tulsa on Jan. 23 after trailing at the half, 46-33.Joining Memphis’ win over No. 6/8 Alabama on Dec. 14, Memphis now has two top-10 wins in the same season for first time since 2013-14 (No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Louisville).Memphis shot a season best 94.7 percent from the free throw line (18-19).The Tigers now have six games this season shooting at least 80.0 percent from the line with at least 15 attempts.Memphis accomplished the feat just once last season and four times total in 2019-20.Landers Nolley II scored a season high 20 points and made four of his five 3-point tries.Nolley II was 3-for-19 from distance in his last five games.Jalen Duren had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 11 rebounds for his third-consecutive double-double.Duren leads the team with five double-doubles this year.He has also scored in double figures in five-straight games.Lester Quinones finished in double figures for the fourth-straight game for the first time this season and third time in his career.Quinones also had four-straight double-figure games in his freshman season of 2019-20 and at the start of his sophomore campaign of 2020-21.The Tigers are 27-9 when DeAndre Williams plays, compared to 7-7 when he does not.Alex Lomax had a team-high six assists in the game.Memphis is 25-6 when he has at least five assists in a game.
