Tag: Avery Woodson

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East Carolina 84, Tigers 83

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

“I didn’t see this coming. I thought we were ready to go.” Josh Pastner can only hope that Sunday afternoon represents the nadir in his seventh season as coach of the Memphis Tigers. In front of a typically sparse FedExForum crowd, Memphis fell to an East Carolina team that entered the contest 0-6 in American Athletic Conference competition and 0-7 in road games. Prince Williams hit two free throws with four seconds left on the clock, erasing the one-point lead Tiger forward Trahson Burrell had given Memphis five seconds earlier. (Burrell missed the first of his two free throws.) With the win the Pirates improve to 9-11 overall while Memphis falls to 12-7 (3-3 in the AAC). The loss is a damaging blow both to the Tigers’ chances for a regular-season AAC championship and thoughts of an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

“I’m not going to say we took them lightly,” said Burrell after the game. “But we weren’t as up as if we were playing [top-ranked] Oklahoma again. It’s natural to play to the level of your competition, but I wouldn’t say we took them for granted. We came out in the first half very sluggish.”
Larry Kuzniewski

“They shot 75 percent [six for eight] on threes in the first half,” emphasized senior Shaq Goodwin, who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds despite playing most of the second half in foul trouble. “You can say it came down to this play or that play, but really it comes down to us holding our principles as a team. You’ve got to forget the good and the bad. I’m gonna talk to the team and tell them to forget about what just happened; we can’t go back. All we can do is prepare for UCF and get better.”

The Tigers were indeed dreadful in the first half, allowing ECU to shoot 61 percent overall and take a 45-36 lead after 20 minutes. The team’s top scorer and rebounder, freshman Dedric Lawson, had only four points at the break and not a single rebound. He hit nine of ten shots from the field in the second half and was central to the Tigers’ comeback, finishing with a game-high 27 points (one more than the Pirates’ B.J. Tyson). Lawson scored six points on consecutive possessions — a layup, free throw, and three-pointer — to give Memphis a 74-73 lead with six minutes left to play. Memphis would surrender the lead and take it back three times before the final sequence at the free-throw stripe won the game for ECU.

Burrell had his second consecutive strong game off the Tiger bench, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. committed his fourth foul with 12:27 left and never re-entered the game. Pastner said he felt both Tarrant and Sam Craft fell short of expectations as floor leaders in the loss. Tarrant missed five of his six shots from the field while Craft scored 10 points in 24 minutes.

The Tigers committed 16 turnovers, their most in 10 games, leading to 25 points for the Pirates.

“A bad loss,” stressed Pastner. “We were in quicksand the first 20 minutes of the game. They hit a bunch of threes. Markel Crawford cut a screen [early], and they hit a three for some confidence. They were on fire. I’m disappointed, but there’s no time for self-pity or pointing fingers. We need to find a way to get a win Tuesday [at UCF]. The last two games, our perimeter defense has not been good. It’s kicked our butt.”

The Tigers’ next two games will be on the road, Tuesday at UCF then next Saturday at SMU. (The Mustangs lost their first game of the season today at Temple.) They’ll return to FedExForum to host Connecticut on February 4th.

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Tigers 72, Southern 67

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The Tigers finished Tuesday night’s game on a 16-8 run, erasing a three-point deficit with just under seven minutes to play to earn their fifth straight win, matching the team’s season high from the 2014-15 season. Southern center Jared Sam missed a free throw with 26 seconds left that would have tied the game at 68 and K.J. Lawson converted a driving layup from the left side with 17 seconds left to clinch the victory.

The older of the Tigers’ two Lawson brothers scored a game-high 16 points off the bench and Trahson Burrell added 15 points and eight rebounds (also off the bench) to lead the way on a night senior Shaq Goodwin fouled out in only 14 minutes of playing time. Freshman forward Dedric Lawson earned his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Memphis improved to 7-2 on the season despite committing a season-high 19 turnovers.

Larry Kuzniewski

Dedric Lawson

Senior point guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. struggled from the field (3 for 10) but managed to score 11 points, grab six rebounds, dish out four assists, and earn four steals. He knew it was the Tiger bench, though, that decided this one. “It’s something we expect [the reserves] to do,” said Tarrant. “It’s their mentality, to bring energy. They did a great job, picking up the pace of the game. Not just by scoring, but with defense and rebounding.”

Led by Sam (26 points and 12 rebounds) and guard Adrian Rodgers (18 points), the Jaguars battled the Tigers to a tie at halftime (29-29) and led for more than 14 minutes of the game (there were 10 lead changes). But in addition to dominating bench play (Memphis outscored the Jaguar bench, 32-6), the Tigers got to the free-throw line 42 times and made 28, compared with a total of 16 free-throw attempts (12 made) by Southern.

“In the first half, we weren’t taking our time,” said K.J. Lawson. “We had some jitters. But in the second half, we took it to the goal; they couldn’t stop it.”

“Overall, it was a good win,” said Tarrant. “They’re a hard-nosed team. There are things we have to get better at on both the offensive and defensive end.”

Asked about the Tigers’ next opponent, Ole Miss (Friday night), K.J. Lawson all but shrugged his shoulders. “At the end of the day, it’s just another game,” he said. “We’re gonna prepare for them just like we prepare for everybody else. We played Oklahoma . . . top 10. How did we prepare for them? We know the crowd will be there, and we’ll be prepared to play. We just hope they’re ready to play.”

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 89, Manhattan 57

For 20 minutes Saturday night, the Tigers looked like a team that hadn’t played in a week. Facing the 1-6 Jaspers, Memphis players missed their first six shots from the field, allowed six three pointers (on 20 attempts) defensively, and trailed by two (38-36) at halftime.

“We stepped up defensively” after halftime, said Tiger guard Avery Woodson following the game. Indeed, the Tigers surged over the second half’s first 14 minutes, outscoring Manhattan 34-8 to take a decisive 70-46 lead. Markel Crawford “played like an All-American” after “stinking” in the first half according to Memphis coach Josh Pastner. The sophomore from Melrose helped contain Jasper guard Rich Williams while scoring a career-high 16 points himself.

Tiger sixth man Trahson Burrell returned after missing the Tigers’ last game with a hip pointer. He scored 13 points (all but three after halftime), grabbed eight rebounds, and handed out three assists in 21 minutes off the bench. “It was a little painful,” he acknowledged, “but I can play through it.” Burrell has scored at least 10 points in five of the seven games he’s played this season.

Freshman forward Dedric Lawson led Memphis in scoring with 21 points (10 of 16 from the field) and pulled down eight rebounds. Senior Shaq Goodwin added 13 points and eight rebounds, though he struggled from the foul line, missing seven of 12 free throws. 

The Tigers held Manhattan to 19-percent shooting (4 for 21) after halftime and forced 15 turnovers. The win is the fourth straight for Memphis (6-2), one shy of the team’s longest streak of the 2014-15 season.

“I was disappointed in our first half,” said Pastner. “We stunk. The zone saved us, but then they started hitting some threes. Second half, Ricky Tarrant played like an All-American defender. Avery Woodson made some big-time fifty-fifty plays. K.J. Lawson did some good things; he just got in foul trouble. We guarded in the second half like we’re supposed to for 40 minutes. We just did it for 20.”

Is there a trend, these poor starts against weak competition? “When people play Memphis, it’s their Super Bowl,” emphasized Pastner. “With all the parity, it’s about energy, about defense, playing hard. We didn’t do that the first half. I put that on the upperclassmen, and that starting lineup. Only guy who has a little excuse is Dedric, and he should be a senior in high school.”

The Tigers will play the second of four games in 11 days Tuesday night when Southern visits FedExForum.

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Tigers 94, Louisiana Tech 68

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

“Finally,” said a smiling Markel Crawford. “We played a complete game.”

A poor finish cost his team a big upset against Oklahoma. A poor start allowed UT-Arlington to escape FedExForum with a victory. But thanks in part to Crawford’s aggressive play on offense and his stifling defense, Memphis dominated previously undefeated (5-0) Louisiana Tech Tuesday night, and they did so for 40 minutes. Crawford attacked the rim, converting his first four field-goal attempts and helped limit the Bulldogs’ top scorer, Alex Hamilton, to a single point in the first half. With senior point guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. on target from long range (three three-pointers in the game’s first 15 minutes), the Tigers took a 33-13 lead, withstood a 12-4 run by the visitors before halftime, then pulled away steadily over the game’s final 20 minutes.

Larry Kuzniewski

Markel Crawford

“They were locked in,” said Tiger coach Josh Pastner, his team now 4-2 on the young season. “Great energy. We talked about three keys to the game. Fast-break points, second-chance points, and making sure we value the ball. We had a plus-17 advantage on the glass and 21 assists on 32 made field goals. And in the half court, we guarded them well for the most part.”

For a team that entered the game shooting 23.5 percent from three-point range, any semblance of accuracy is a major step in the right direction. Tarrant finished the game four for six from beyond the arc (scoring a game-high 19 points), Avery Woodson hit three of eight (13 points), and Trahson Burrell two of three (10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench). Tarrant suggested after the game that it was simply a matter of time. “It wasn’t any different from any other game,” he said. “The coaches have stuck with me. I worked on [my shooting] all summer. I knew they’d eventually start to fall.” 

Memphis dominated despite a shortened rotation. K.J. Lawson continues to nurse a sore Achilles heel and brother Dedric was limited to 19 minutes by foul trouble. Senior Shaq Goodwin earned his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. But it was the sophomore Crawford (13 points and nine rebounds) who stood out among the night’s difference-makers. “Every game we play, you see Markel step up,” said Goodwin. “It’s tough. And Coach has been asking him to hit the glass, not just guard the best offensive player. We ask a lot from him, and he’s delivering.”

“He has quick feet, and quick hands,” added Tarrant. “He accepts the challenge.” Hamilton finished with 18 points for the Bulldogs, but 17 came after the outcome had essentially been decided.

And when the ball finds Crawford on offense? “Me being in attack mode opens so much for my teammates,” said Crawford himself. “Getting to the line, drawing a couple of defenders.”

Goodwin emphasized that his team is happy, but not necessarily satisfied with the performance. Pastner actually suggested his team took too many shots from three-point range (14 in the first half, 23 for the game). “We need to attack more,” he said. “If we’re shooting 44 percent, that’s fine. Otherwise, we’re at our best when we’re attacking the paint.”

The Tigers will try and extend their first winning streak of the season to three games this Saturday when SEMO visits FedExForum for a 6 p.m. tipoff.