RECAP: No. 19 Memphis earns first win at Tulane since 2020

Penny Hardaway finally bested Ron Hunter in New Orleans.

No. 19 Memphis (17-4, 7-1 AAC) defeated Tulane 68-56 inside Devlin Fieldhouse on Thursday night. This is the Tigers’ first victory at the Green Wave since Dec. 16, 2020. Tulane had previously won its last three home games against Hardaway’s club.

Next up for Memphis is another Quad 3 tilt at Rice on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

The Tigers shot 45% overall and 39% on 3-pointers. They also compiled 18 assists, 12 forced turnovers, 8 offensive rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Memphis led Tulane for 23 minutes and 37 seconds. The game saw four ties and 12 lead changes.

Ron Hunter’s team (11-10, 5-3 AAC) shot 36% on field goals and 17% from beyond the arc. It also outrebounded Memphis 38-37 while racking up 15 assists, 13 offensive boards, 11 forced turnovers, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Green Wave leading scorer Kaleb Banks finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ road victory.

Memphis starts and finishes the first half strong

Dain Dainja dumped in a smooth layup 24 seconds after the ball tipped off. He and PJ Haggerty then scored a bucket each to give Memphis a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

Seven first-half turnovers, however, quickly upended the Tigers as Tulane knotted the score at 20 apiece with just over seven minutes left in the period. After that, the Green Wave generated a 6-0 run of their own to claim a 26-20 advantage at the 3:54 mark.

But Memphis finished the first half even stronger than how it started it. The Tigers scored the final 9 points before halftime, including a fastbreak layup from Haggerty as the clock expired.

Memphis shot 44.8% in the opening period, compared to Tulane’s 35.5%. The Green Wave made up for it with 7 points off turnovers and 5 second-chance points, though. Neither team attempted a free throw in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Rowan Brumbaugh torches the Tigers

The Georgetown transfer caught fire in the first half.

Brumbaugh led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting at halftime. Nine of those came from the 3-point line. He also went to the locker room with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. No other Tulane player eclipsed 5 points before intermission.

Brumbaugh notched another 6 points in the second despite not hitting a field goal.

PJ Carter and Colby Rogers lift Memphis to victory

Carter, a 6-foot-5 guard, scored 14 points (8 after halftime) for the second game in a row. The UTSA transfer finished the game 4-of-9 from 3-point range too, with most of those made shots coming in timely situations.

One of his three misses in the second half proved crucial too, since Carter rebounded it, put it back for 2 points and then took a charge on the other end. Tyrese Hunter’s layup on the ensuing possession gave Memphis a 7-point lead with just over six minutes to play.

Rogers seemed to be having yet another rough outing—similar to the ones he’s had throughout the past month. The 6-foot-3 guard shot 0-for-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from 3-point range in the first half. He turned it around in the second, though, scoring 14 points on 4-for-5 perimeter shooting. Rogers’ last 3-pointer put the Tigers up by 10 with 2:07 on the clock. Tulane never got within single digits again.

Dainja notched a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists on 8-for-11 shooting. Haggerty totaled 8 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Tyrese Hunter recorded 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.