RECAP: No. 19 Memphis holds on to beat East Carolina

Not even a snowstorm can slow No. 19 Memphis down.

The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 AAC)—though it was too close for comfort—beat East Carolina 74-70 inside FedExForum Saturday. ECU ranked No. 203 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) before tipoff, making this a Quad 4 win for Penny Hardaway’s club. Next up for Memphis is a Quad 2 opportunity at Temple on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN2).

Memphis shot 41% overall and 26% on 3-pointers. It also recorded 18 forced turnovers, 17 assists, 13 offensive rebounds, 9 steals and 6 blocks. This is the fourth consecutive game where the Tigers never trailed.

Mike Schwartz’s team (9-8, 1-3 AAC) shot 39% on field goals and 25% at the 3-point line. It also outrebounded Memphis 40-36 while racking up 16 forced turnovers (10 in the second half), 14 offensive boards, 11 steals, 10 assists and 7 blocks. The Pirates had 24 points off turnovers and outscored the Tigers 38-36 in the paint.

Here are some takeaways from today’s game, which saw limited attendance due to Friday’s inclement weather.

Poor early shooting sets ECU behind

East Carolina, which has shot 27.5% from 3-point range this season, couldn’t miss the rim to start the contest.

The Pirates misfired on their first 9 field goal attempts, and trailed 11-2 almost seven minutes after the opening tip. ECU ultimately went to halftime with a 25% clip. Memphis, meanwhile, shot 41% from the field in the period and led 38-24 at intermission.

Colby Rogers and Tyrese Hunter led the Tigers with 9 points respectively in the first 20 minutes. Rogers also grabbed 3 rebounds and shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc before the break.

Memphis creates separation with 16-0 run

East Carolina scored 7 straight points to cut Memphis’ lead to 11-9 with just over 10 minutes before halftime, but the Tigers turned things up another gear with a big stretch of their own.

A 3-pointer by Hunter began a 16-0 Memphis run, which gave the Tigers an 18-point cushion—their largest of the game. Hunter scored 5 of Memphis’ points during the run, while PJ Haggerty, Moussa Cisse and Nick Jourdain combined for the other 11.

Memphis withstands ECU’s second-half push

Memphis lost its way for much of the second half, and ECU nearly capitalized.

The Pirates opened the final period with a 7-0 run in under two minutes. The Tigers then stretched their advantage back to 46-35 at the 16:13 mark, but East Carolina then generated another 7-0 run to cut the deficit back to 4 points with 14 minutes to play.

Pirates forward C.J. Walker, who led his team with 23 points and 7 rebounds, eventually tied the game with a layup through contact, plus a foul shot, with 1:11 on the clock. But Haggerty and Hunter responded with 4 straight points to pull Memphis ahead for good.

Haggerty finished with a game-high 25 points (43.7% shooting), 4 rebounds and a steal. He also sank all 10 of his free throws.

Hunter totaled 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block on 4-for-13 shooting. Dain Dainja compiled 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 21 minutes. Midseason transfer Dante Harris distributed a team-high 4 assists.

East Carolina’s RJ Felton had a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.