SMU Defeats Memphis
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — No. 21 SMU is on a late-season roll, and it will accept victories any way they come.
Guard Nic Moore scored 16 points, leading SMU to a 66-57 victory over Memphis on Thursday night in an American Athletic Conference game at FedExForum.
Moore scored 14 of his points in the second half against a depleted Tigers squad. Starting point guard Kedren Johnson fouled out early in the second half, backup point guard Pookie Powell was unavailable due to a flu-like illness, and defensive stopper Markel Crawford exited late in the first half because of an injury.
“We had our chances,” Memphis coach Josh Pastner said. “Unfortunately, we were down a couple of starters.”
Moore and the Mustangs (23-5, 14-2 AAC) took advantage by winning their seventh consecutive league road game and prevailing for the 13th time in 14 games overall. SMU shot 58 percent in the second half, including 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. For the game, the visitors hit 46.9 percent of their attempts from the floor and half of their 14 3-point shots.
SMU guard Ryan Manuel and center Yanick Moreira each contributed 11 points.
Memphis (17-11, 9-6) got a game-high 17 points from forward Shaq Goodwin. Forward Nick King added 14 off the bench.
Tigers forward Austin Nichols, the team’s leading scorer, was held to
six points on 2-of-11 shooting. He added eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
Johnson, the Tigers’ starting point guard, exited 66 seconds into the second half after he was whistled for his fourth foul, and while complaining, received a technical for his fifth. He ended the night scoreless.
“I felt bad (Johnson) got in foul trouble because he’s made a big difference in running their club,” SMU coach Larry Brown said. “When you lose your point guard, it’s really tough. I thought (Johnson’s foul trouble) was the key.”
Crawford sustained a jaw injury with 3:19 to go in the opening half and did not return. Crawford was hurt after running into a screen set by 6-foot-9, 245-pound SMU forward Markus Kennedy.
After Johnson’s disqualification, the Mustangs went on an 11-4 run to grab a 41-32 lead. Manuel scored six straight to cap the run.
“When you lose your starting point guard (two minutes into the second half), it’s pretty hard to turn a fine team away like that,” Memphis guard Avery Woodson said. “We just had some bad breaks. That’s how this season has gone.”
Memphis rallied behind King, who scored nine points during a three-minute stretch. His three-point play with 12:45 left gave the Tigers a 44-43 lead.
“When we were up by (nine with 16 minutes left), I was telling the guys not to let up because those guys aren’t going anywhere,” Moore said. “Then, all of a sudden, they hit two big threes and some jumpers, and it was a tie game again.
“I had to tell my guys I had confidence in them and to settle down. Then we started making plays. And we just grinded it out with seven minutes to go.”
SMU outscored the Tigers 10-5 in the final five minutes. Moore had two 3-pointers in the closing minutes to help the Mustangs pull away.
“Nic was great,” Brown said. “They did a lot of things to take Nic out of the game. He had five assists and no turnovers and made big shots. He was great. That was a big win.”
SMU led 30-28 at the half after both teams struggled with their shooting. Memphis shot 36.4 percent (12-for-33) before the break, and SMU shot 34.8 percent (8-for-23).
The Mustangs grabbed an early 14-7 lead. The Tigers recovered after sending in forward Nick King, guard Trahson Burrell and forward Calvin Godfrey, who provided some needed energy and rebounding. King’s follow capped a 10-2 run to give the Tigers a 17-16 advantage.
Four minutes later, Woodson’s 3-pointer from the left corner put the Memphis back ahead, 22-20, but SMU reclaimed the lead at 23-22 on a free throw by forward Ben Moore and didn’t trail again in the first half.
Goodwin led all scorers with 13 first-half points.
The Tigers shot 41.1 percent overall for the game.
