Coach Josh Pastner described his team’s first half as “lackluster.” The Tigers were outrebounded for the second straight game, this time 33-32 by one of Conference USA’s bottom-feeders, East Carolina. The U of M’s top scorer, Elliot Williams, was held 11 points under his season average. And the Tigers had no one grab more than five rebounds or dish out more than three assists.
Swallow all that, and consider Memphis won the game by 20 points. The much-talked-about streak in C-USA play is now at 63, one shy of the record Kentucky set in the SEC between 1945 and 1950. (The Tigers — now 12-4 — can tie the record Saturday night, when they play at Rice.)
- Larry Kuzniewski
- Doneal Mack: 1,000-point man
Wesley Witherspoon, starting his third straight game, scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Tigers (including 9 of 10 from the charity stripe). This marked the seventh time in the last eight games the sophomore swingman has reached double figures.
After leading by only seven (33-26) at halftime, the Tigers opened the second half on a 15-3 spurt that allowed them to coast for the last 15 minutes. Barely two minutes after halftime, senior Doneal Mack drained a three-pointer to become the 46th Tiger to reach 1,000 for his career.
