Two days after a thrilling comeback win over SMU at FedExForum, the Tigers came up two free throws short at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. With his team down three points (67-64), Memphis guard Boogie Ellis drew a foul on a three-point attempt from the right wing as the clock stopped at 3.6 seconds. Ellis (a 66-percent free throw shooter) made the first free throw, but missed the second. The sophomore reserve forced a jump ball after SMU pulled down his intentional miss on the third, but Memphis — with the alternate possession — was unable to inbound the ball cleanly.
The Tigers seized the lead for the first time (59-58) on a DeAndre Williams dunk with under four minutes left in the game. A 17-2 run erased a deficit that hovered around double digits since late in the first half. Memphis had more turnovers (11) than field goals (9) prior to halftime.
Landers Nolley drained a three-pointer from the left corner with 1:30 to play to again give the Tigers the lead (64-63), but a critical offensive foul call against Alex Lomax negated a Tiger possession between four converted free throws by the Mustangs. The loss drops Memphis to 9-6 for the season (5-3 in the American Athletic Conference), while SMU improves to 9-3 (5-3).
For the second time in three nights, the Tigers made the AAC’s top scorer, Kendric Davis, look rather average. The junior guard (averaging 18.3 points per game) made only two of 13 field-goal attempts and scored but six points. But Feron Hunt scored 17 to lead SMU and Emmanuel Bandoumei added 15, including two of those crucial free throws in the game’s final minute.
Nolley led the Tigers with 19 points (hitting five three-pointers), Williams scored 17, and Lomax came off the bench for six points and eight assists. D.J. Jeffries was ineffective (one point) and freshman Moussa Cisse got in early foul trouble, finishing with three points and six rebounds.
The loss ends a three-game winning streak for Memphis.
The Tigers’ next four games will be at FedExForum, starting with a pair of meetings with UCF next Monday and Wednesday. (One of the games was rescheduled after a postponement at UCF on January 5th.)
