No. 17 Memphis has had a few close games this season, with just one loss, putting them at the top of the American Athletic Conference.
The Tigers will get a chance to make up for that loss on Sunday afternoon when they play Temple again in another conference game.
When the teams met on Jan. 16 in Philadelphia, Temple pulled off an 88-81 upset by doing two key things: Outshooting Memphis from beyond the 3-point line and dominating the rebounding game.
Temple made 9 of 22 3-pointers, while Memphis made only 6 of 21. The Owls also grabbed 49 rebounds compared to Memphis’s 25, with 6-foot-4 senior guard Shane Dezonie leading the way with 13 rebounds and 15 points.
Since then, Memphis (19-4, 9-1) has managed to win its close games, including three decided by four points or less, and coming from behind on Jan. 23 to beat Wichita State 61-53 at home.
In their most recent game, Memphis won 83-71 against Tulsa, pulling ahead in the final 10 minutes. Guard PJ Haggerty scored 23 points in his first game against his former team. Haggerty, who averaged 21.2 points last season for Tulsa, is now averaging 21.7 points per game and has hit 51.1% of his field goals.
Despite Haggerty’s consistency, Tigers coach Penny Hardaway felt the need to check in on him before the game against Tulsa.
“Playing your old team, they’re mad that he left,” Hardaway said. “And they were going to try to take him out of the game.”
That didn’t work, nor did any defense on Dain Dainja. The Illinois transfer had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals, boosting his scoring average to 12.2 points per game.
No. 19 Memphis and RiceMemphis increased its Division I-best 3-point percentage to 40.3% by hitting 9 of 21 from beyond the arc (42.9%) and finished with 56.7% shooting from the field (34 of 60).
As Memphis extended its winning streak to six games, Temple (14-9, 6-4) played without its top scorer, Jamal Mashburn Jr., in a 100-91 double-overtime loss at South Florida on Thursday.
Mashburn, who is averaging a career-high 22.1 points per game, has a foot injury, and his status for the Memphis game is uncertain.
Without Mashburn, Zion Stanford and Steve Settle III stepped up. Stanford scored a team-high 23 points off the bench, nearly doubling his average, and Settle added a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Settle’s performance didn’t surprise Mashburn.
“I see him put in the work every single day, and he’s a great, terrific player,” Mashburn said. “He’s really a key piece.”
However, Settle’s efforts weren’t enough to prevent Temple from losing for the third time in five games. Defense has been a major issue during this stretch, as they’ve allowed an average of 89.4 points per game.
Temple’s win over Memphis last month was the first in the last seven meetings, with Memphis leading the series 15-12.
