Memphis won its American Athletic Conference opener Tuesday afternoon at FedExForum to improve to 9-3 on the season. Starting for the first time this season, senior Trahson Burrell led the Tigers with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Coming off the bench for the first time this season, senior forward Shaq Goodwin added 17 points and eight rebounds.
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Three Tigers who started the team’s first 11 games were not on the floor at tipoff against the Green Wave. Freshman forward Dedric Lawson sat out the game with an abdominal strain, while Goodwin and guard Markel Crawford were held out of the starting lineup presumably for disciplinary reasons. (Crawford scored four points off the bench.) Freshman K.J. Lawson got his first college start and contributed 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior point guard Ricky Tarrant Jr. scored 16 points and led Memphis with six assists.
Malik Morgan led Tulane with 18 points. The Green Wave shot 35 percent in falling to 7-7 for the season.
The Tigers have won seven of eight games and will now hit the road for a big test Saturday at South Carolina. The 24th-ranked Gamecocks will likely be 12-0 entering the game (they face Francis Marion Wednesday).