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It might as well have ended on Sunday.
Emphasis on could.
In the first half, UAB dominated Memphis basketball and led by 22 points. But the Tigers, if they wanted any chance of making the NCAA tournament at-large, had to have this game. So they took it.
In front of an electrified and deliriously raucous FedExForum crowd, the Tigers (22-8, 11-6 AAC) used a 46-9 run (highlighted by 20 straight points) to regain control and claim a 106-87 victory, his fourth. right. This keeps them in contention for a double bye at the AAC tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, which begins March 13. They are in fourth place in the league standings, with one regular season game remaining.
“For me, the movement, I thank God for the movement,” Hardaway said. “The movement is moving right now. I can feel the momentum of this team, even though we had a bad first half, I feel like God has a plan for this team. For the things we’ve been through, to be able to come out of this with a 19-point win, I never gave up.”
Many of the same fans who were talking about the Tigers’ abominable play in the first half were talking about the dominant play in the second half.
Memphis is just the second college basketball team since 2010 to trail by more than 20 points and win the same game by more than 15.
“I’m not sure if I should be proud of that or not,” Hardaway said jokingly.
“They had us in the first half, I’m not going to lie,” said Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who scored a career-high 28 points.
“Personally, I didn’t want to end it like that,” David Jones said after scoring 32 points.
“The team is really coming together,” Jahvon Quinerly said. “Even with the 10-game winning streak we had earlier in the season, I feel like the momentum we have now is a little bit bigger, because we’re eliminating opponents the way I feel like we should. The guys are smiling out there, having fun.” “
The resounding victory avenged January’s disappointing loss to the Blazers (18-11, 10-6) in Birmingham.
Here are five observations from Sunday’s victory.
Points, points and more points
Memphis was powered by the three-headed monster of Jones, Tomlin and Jahvon Quinerly.
Jones was held to just eight points in the first half. But, as has happened in other games where he got off to a slow start, he came back to life in the second half. He scored 24 of his game-high 32 points in the final 20 minutes.
Tomlin, the midseason transfer who has become a major force on both ends of the floor, dropped 28 points to go along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Quinerly finished with 25 points.
The battle for sales volume
UAB handled the little defensive pressure Memphis got in the first half relatively well. The Blazers committed just seven turnovers before halftime, compared to eight for Memphis.
The second half was another story. UAB turned the ball over 11 times in its disastrous half, while the Tigers committed just one.
The short day of Andy Kennedy
The Tigers came out of the locker room after halftime like a house on fire.
At halftime, trailing 61-46, they scored two field goals in the first minute and four in the first two minutes to reduce the lead to just seven points. UAB coach Andy Kennedy fidgeted, shook his head, looked at the ground and sighed deeply.
Two minutes later, the Tigers had pulled within 61-59, and Kennedy exploded. Referee Jeb Hartness gave him a technical foul, which didn’t sit well with Kennedy. As he continued his protest, Byron Jarrett expelled him. That angered Kennedy even more. Both players and coaches had to contain him.
Where is the defense?
Two weeks ago, the Tigers allowed 58 points to SMU in the first half of a game they lost 106-79.
And whatever SMU had done, UAB had done better. The Blazers annihilated the Tigers in the first half, scoring 61 points without scoring in the first 1:19 or the last 1:35.
UAB shot 67.6% from the field and made eight three-pointers. In the first 20 minutes, he abused Memphis’ interior defense, scoring 30 points in the paint.
Help at the free throw line
As things got worse for the Tigers in the first half, they took heart with a consistent performance at the free throw line.
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They came early and often, making 16 shots in 18 attempts. His 16 hits were double what the UAB attempted in the first half.
All that time spent at the free throw line also helped set the table for the foul trouble UAB had throughout the rest of the game. Six Blazers finished with three or more fouls.
Quinerly and Jones each made 10 free throws.
Contact sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.