Dain Dainja and PJ Haggerty each had 22 points to lead No. 22 Memphis to an 84-65 victory over visiting Florida Atlantic on Sunday afternoon.
Dainja matched a career best with his point total and grabbed 11 rebounds. Colby Rogers added 15 points and Moussa Cisse secured 11 rebounds as the Tigers (22-5, 12-2 American Athletic Conference) increased their AAC lead over North Texas and UAB to a full game.
Memphis, which was coming off last Sunday’s loss to Wichita State, has not dropped back-to-back games this season.
Tre Carroll led the Owls (15-12, 8-6) with 20 points and seven rebounds while Kaleb Glenn had 15 points and five rebounds. Leland Walker had 14 points with four assists and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Florida Atlantic has lost back-to-back games following a five-game winning streak. The Owls missed out on what could have been a major boost of a win for their slim NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Tigers shot just 3-for-13 from 3-point range in the first half but closed the period strong.
Down 24-18, Memphis put together a 14-0 run and held FAU scoreless for a span of 4:37, during which the Owls shot 0-for-7 from the field. Walker broke the run with a 3-pointer and FAU was within 37-32 at the half.
Carroll’s layup brought the Owls within 41-38 early in the second half before the Tigers rattled off the next 12 points to spring ahead by 15.
Memphis put the game out of reach later with a 13-0 run to take a 76-49 lead with 6:15 to go. Haggerty scored eight points during that surge and finished the game 11-for-17 from the field while also collecting six rebounds.
The Tigers’ 16 offensive rebounds proved key, as they led to 19 second-chance points. Memphis held a 44-33 rebounding advantage overall.
–Field Level Media
