Men's Basketball Suffers 80-59 Setback to Memphis

Sunday, January 8

Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse

2 p.m. CT

Tulane University

3-12, 0-3AAC

Memphis

12-4, 2-1AAC

Memphis

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Men's Basketball Suffers 80-59 Setback to Memphis

Jan 8, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane held a five-point lead late in the first half, but Memphis pulled away for an 80-59 American Athletic Conference victory at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon.

Kain Harris and Melvin Frazier led three Green Wave players in double-figures with 15 points apiece, while Cameron Reynolds added 11 points, eight rebounds, and matches a career-high with two blocked shots.

Dedric Lawson posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 boards to complement five blocks and three assists, as Markel Crawford matched him for a game-high with 24 points. K.J. Lawson added 13 points and eight rebounds, as the Tigers finished the game shooting 30-for-58 (.517) overall and 9-for-21 (.429) from three-point range.

Turnovers were an issue early, as the Green Wave committed six in the first seven minutes of action, which aided an early advantage for Memphis in building an 18-11 lead just over halfway through the first half.

A pair of threes and a dunk by Harris sparked an 11-0 scoring run that gave Tulane (3-12, 0-3 AAC) a 22-18 lead with 7:54 left in the period. Following a pair of Tiger free throws, Colin Slater netted a three-pointer to give the Green Wave its largest lead of the game, 25-20, but Memphis (12-4, 2-1 AAC) punched back with 13-straight points as part of a 16-1 run en route to carrying a 10-point margin, 36-26, into the locker rooms at halftime.

The Tigers built a double-digit lead, 43-32, just over three minutes into the second half and extended that advantage to over 20 points at the 6:46 mark of the second half, before closing out their 21-point road victory.

Memphis outscored Tulane, 28-24, in the paint, 23-20 off turnovers and 15-2 on second chance baskets, while the Green Wave owned a 10-8 edge in fast-break points and were plus-10 with a 21-11 margin in bench scoring.

Tulane will travel to Tampa, Fla., to take on USF on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at the Sun Dome and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3/WatchESPN.