Despite four University of Memphis Tigers scoring in double digits (Earl Barron with 16, Scooter McFadgon with 13, Kelly Wise with 12 and Shannon Forman with 10) as well as Wise’s 9th double-double of the season (possible with a game-high 12 rebounds), the Tigers (12-9, 6-2) couldn’t hold on to their 8 game winning streak, losing to Marquette University (11-8 6-2) in the final minutes for a final score of 71-65.
The Tigers jumped out early with Marquette shooting only 1-7 to start the game, but a late first-half run by the Golden Eagles put Marquette up by 5 at the break. Memphis trailed most of the second half until Memphis went on a 10-0 run with four players scoring to cut the advantage to 59-58 with 4:17 remaining on a 3-point play by Forman.
McFadgon converted three free throws with 1:20 remaining locking the two teams at 65. But the Golden Eagles connected on 10-of-10 free throws in the final 2:32 to thwart a Memphis comeback.
Tight, aggressive defense led to a tough shooting night for both teams as Marquette shot 41.2 percent for the game, but Memphis managed only 38.5 percent.
A major difference was at the foul line where the Golden Eagles connected on 24-of-30, while Memphis converted only 10-of-17.
