{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Memphis 67, Southern Methodist 58
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 8, 2014
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: # James Breeding, # Bill Covington, # Thomas O'Neill
Attendance: 18182


No. 20 Memphis 67, No. 18 Southern Methodist 58: Joe Jackson scored 15 of his 18 points after intermission as the host Tigers avenged an earlier setback to the Mustangs in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Austin Nichols contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for Memphis (23-8, 12-6 AAC), which claimed its ninth straight home victory while keeping SMU from wrapping up the third seed in next week’s conference tournament. The Tigers also got payback for a 15-point loss to the Mustangs on Feb. 1 by holding the conference’s best shooting team to 40 percent – tied for its second-worst effort.

Nic Moore finished with 16 points and seven assists for SMU (23-8, 12-6). Nick Russell and Markus Kennedy each chipped in with 13 points as the Mustangs lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Moore scored 10 first-half points as SMU settled for a 30-26 advantage at the break after a frenetic but mistake-filled opening stanza that featured 13 steals and 18 turnovers. Memphis scored the first seven points after intermission to pull ahead by three with 18:19 remaining before the teams traded blows over the next four minutes.

The Tigers, who made nine of their first 11 field-goal attempts to open the second half, began to pull away as Jackson sparked a 9-0 burst with a 3-pointer and Crawford caught fire with three triples over a 1:24 span during a 11-3 surge a few minutes later to give Memphis a 58-44 lead with nine minutes left. The Mustangs closed the gap to 64-58 with 1:41 to go before Jackson sealed it with a three-point play on the other end.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Memphis has won its last nine “Senior Day” contests and improved to 38-4 in games following a loss under coach Josh Pastner. … The Tigers matched a season high with 15 steals while the Mustangs have watched their last two opponents combine for 32 after Louisville recorded 17 on Wednesday. … Memphis went 6-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half after missing all six of its 3-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes.

Top Game Performances
 
Southern Methodist   Memphis
Nic Moore 16 Scoring Joe Jackson 18
Nic Moore 7 Assists Geron Johnson 4
Shawn Williams 7 Rebounds Austin Nichols 9
Nic Moore 2 Free Throws Made Joe Jackson 4
Markus Kennedy 3 Steals Chris Crawford 4
Yanick Moreira 2 Blocks Austin Nichols 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Southern Methodist 58 40.0 5-14 5-8 12 27 2 11 17
Memphis 67 46.4 6-19 9-20 16 35 6 15 18