PJ Haggerty led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds, and No. 19 Memphis held off Rice 86-83 in an American Athletic Conference game on Sunday in Houston.
Tyrese Hunter added 19 points and five assists for the Tigers (18-4, 8-1), giving them a one-game lead over North Texas and UAB in the conference standings. PJ Carter, coming off the bench, hit 5 of 7 three-pointers to score 19 points, helping Memphis shoot 55 percent from the field, including 11 of 21 from beyond the arc.
Carter made two crucial free throws with 4.2 seconds left to give Memphis a three-point lead. Rice was called for a five-second violation on the inbounds pass, but the Owls forced a turnover on Memphis’ next pass. However, Carter blocked a last-second shot as time ran out.
Rice (11-11, 2-7) had three players score in double figures, led by Trae Broadnax with 19 points and six assists. Jacob Dar added 17 points and eight rebounds, including a three-pointer with 11.7 seconds remaining to pull Rice within 82-81. Alem Huseinovic finished with 13 points.
The Owls came within one point at 60-59 with 10:52 to go after a 3-pointer by Denver Anglin, assisted by Broadnax. However, Memphis responded with a 9-2 run, capped by a three from Hunter, for a 69-61 lead at 8:02. The Tigers were ahead by as many as 11 points late, holding off Rice’s late rally.
Rice shot 45.2 percent from the field, making 10 of 25 from three, and scored 23 points off 16 Memphis turnovers.
Carter’s three-pointer at 12:50 gave Memphis a 21-10 lead in the first half, but Rice fought back to briefly take a 29-28 lead. Memphis regained control and went into halftime with a 44-39 lead.
Memphis entered the game on a four-game win streak, while Rice had lost six straight, four of them by a combined 16 points.
