Kareem Brewton turnover to start things off. Damion Moore gets the ball at the top of the key with a wide-open lane, drives and connects plus draws a foul. Misses the Free Throw. Next Tigers possession, Raynere Thornton buries a three. After a Temple, miss Memphis comes right back and Brewton connects. After a few more misses, Kyvon Davenport drills a jumper. Shizz Alston gets going for the Owls with a three of his own.
1st Media Timeout: Memphis 9, Temple 5
Owls come out firing with tough three point makes by both J.P. Moorman and De’Vondre Perry. Jeremiah Martin was anxious to join the three-point party, and man can he fill it up. After a couple of Martin treys, Alston nailed a nifty jumper and was fouled. Good sequence there, the pace is fast.
2nd Media Timeout: Memphis 17, Temple 15
Alston completes the three point play. Martin answers with another jumper, boy he heats up quick. Davenport hits a jumper. Temple HC Fran Dunphy calls timeout. Tyler Harris of Memphis makes a layup. Alston answers with another triple. After a couple of Memphis turnovers, Perry ends up finishing on the other end for the Owls.
3rd Media Timeout: Memphis 23, Temple 21
Antwann Jones, Jr. of Memphis nails a three right out of the break. Missed shot by the Owls. After a miss by Nick Lomax of Memphis, Justyn Hamilton hits a jumper for Temple. Antwann Jones hits a layup to answer. Alston comes right back with a successful drive to the basket. Alston picks up a steal from Jones, Jr. Tigers are playing sloppy. Martin is fouled after Owl miss. He hits both FT’s.
4th Media Timeout: Memphis 30, Temple 25
Ernest Aflakpui (who was questionable) is in the game and fouled. He makes one of two at the stripe. After a small scoring break, Temple broke the ice with an Alani Moore triple. Crowd is quiet. Later, Perry drew a foul for the Owl and made 1 of 2. Lomax turnover. Later, a steal and dunk by Moorman. Then another steal and dunk by Quinton Rose for Temple. Memphis is melting down right now. Martin finally gets the Tigers going with a driving layup. Big blocked shot from Antwann Jones Jr. leads to a transition break and a foul, sending Martin to the line. He connects on the first, misses the second. Owls have the final shot, it goes to Alston (of course) and he hits a driving shot off the glass to conclude the half.
Halftime: Temple 38, Memphis 33.
Antwann Jones Jr. gets the scoring going in the second half with a three-ball. After a blocked shot by Brewton, Brewton himself finishes on the other end. Game tied. Temple called for travelling. Davenport sinks a three. Wow, this is a game of runs. Quinton Rose ends the 8-0 Memphis run, with a driving lay-in. Nate Pierre-Louis of Temple misses a point blank layup, much to the delight of the Memphis faithful. On the other end, Jones Jr. throws a perfect lob to Thornton for a slam. Crowd loving this.
1st Media Timeout: Memphis 43, Temple 40
Pierre-Louis hits a contested runner off the glass as the shot clock expires. Been a lot of missed jumpers during this stretch, not a ton of exciting news. Alston is eventually fouled and connects on both foul shots. The ensuing possession Alston gets called for travelling. Seldom-used Isaiah Maurice for Memphis is in the game and flushes home a dunk, apparently Temple forgot about him. Next Tigers possession, Martin drives to the hole and makes the shot and the foul. Free throw coming after the timeout.
2nd Media Timeout: Memphis 47, Temple 46
Martin completes the 3-point play. Pierre Louis gets fouled and sent to the line, only makes one of two. Maurice is still in and he makes a key layup. Lomax with a steal and tremendous hustle to keep the ball in bounds, eventually takes it to the tin and Temple is called for goaltending. Temple uses a timeout, trailing now by five. Maurice is at the line, missed the first and made the second. Lengthy Temple possession leads to a Pierre-Louis three. Cuts the lead to three for Memphis. After a Tigers turnover, Perry draws a foul. Perry misses, then makes. Nice hesitation dribble drive by Lomax, earns a trip to then line, where he makes both FTs. After an Owls missed runner, Martin drives in for another layup. But then a big three in the corner by Temple’s Thornton keeps the Owls right in it.
3rd Media Timeout: Memphis 57, Temple 54
Mike Parks makes two free throws after the break for the Tigers. Alston turns the ball over. After a Memphis miss, Moorman gets position inside and makes an easy layup. Davenport answers with a silky-smooth baseline drive and reverse lay-in. Missed three by Alston, and in transition Alani Moore hits a trey. Crowd is loving it, Tigers have an eight-point lead. Thornton draws a foul and makes one free throw for Memphis. Temple really needs buckets. Missed three by Alston again, Tigers turn it into a three-point play at the end of the shot clock by Martin, wow (great shot, one-handed floater). Martin completes the three-point play. Alston answers with a bucket and is fouled, makes the foul shot. Lead is now nine for Memphis. Great putback by Martin after a miss by Tyler Harris. Pierre-Louis gets back to the line and hits one of two. Martin again with a driving shot, it’s good. Temple called for travelling, it is loud in FedEx Forum.
4th Media Timeout: Memphis 72. Temple 60
Owls turn it over out of the timeout. Unbelievable – it’s another Martin three-point play. And yes he finishes it. Martin now has 30. More sloppy play from Temple, Coach Dunphy wants timeout. Alston misses, Memphis rebound. Davenport is fouled and with 1:24 to go, I am heading to the press room. Full recap to come.
Final Score: Memphis 81, Temple 73