RECAP: No. 22 Memphis overcomes slow start to blast FAU

Memphis basketball looked a bit sluggish after a week off, but still bounced back from its upset loss at Wichita State.

The Tigers (22-5, 12-2 AAC) thrashed Florida Atlantic 84-65 inside FedExForum on Sunday. The win gives Memphis a season sweep of FAU, since the Tigers also trounced the Owls in Boca Raton last month. Penny Hardaway’s club next hosts Rice on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).

No. 22 Memphis shot 47% overall and 26% on 3-pointers. It also outrebounded FAU 44-33 while recording 17 assists, 16 offensive boards, 12 forced turnovers, 9 steals and 8 blocks. The Tigers scored 52 paint points, 24 points off turnovers and 19 second-chance points compared to 28, 8 and 4 for the Owls.

John Jakus’ team (15-12, 8-6 AAC) shot 43% on field goals and 40% at the 3-point line. It also compiled 12 assists, 12 offensive rebounds, 10 forced turnovers, 4 blocks and 4 steals. Tre Carroll (20), Kaleb Glenn (15) and Leland Walker (14) scored double-figure points for Florida Atlantic.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ victory.

Memphis rebounds from poor shooting start

Memphis lit up FAU with a 56% shooting clip in their first meeting, but the Owls played much stingier this time around—at least initially.

The Tigers hit just two of their first 12 shots from the field. Seven of those misses came from inside the arc, with three of them being categorized as layups by StatBroadcast.

But Memphis went on the shoot 46% for the rest of the first half, and used a 14-0 run to lead FAU by as many as 8 points in the period. The Tigers held a 37-32 advantage at halftime.

Dink Yates comes to play

The 6-foot-5 walk-on didn’t play much against FAU, but still provided a much-needed spark for the Tigers.

Yates checked in at the 13:15 mark in the first half with Memphis trailing 9-4. The Tigers then outscored FAU 14-11 over the next five minutes and 32 seconds before subbing out again with 7:43 left in the period.

He racked up 2 points, 2 assists, a rebound and a steal in seven minutes.

Dain Dainja and PJ Haggerty manhandle FAU

Public address announcer Geoff Mack’s thunderous roar of “Dainja, Dainja, Dainja,” coupled with “Danger” by Mystikal, echoed through FedExForum countless times on Sunday.

Dainja—the namesake of Mack’s ferocious chant—dominated FAU with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals on 8-for-13 shooting. He scored 9 of his 11 second-half points in the first four minutes of the period. Haggerty missed four of his first five shots, but finished with 22 points (11-of-17 from the field) and 6 rebounds. Dainja and Haggerty scored 25 of Memphis’ 47 points in the final 20 minutes.

Colby Rogers bounced back from his 2-of-8 outing at Wichita State with 15 points on 3-for-6 perimeter shooting. Tyrese Hunter had 9 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds and an assist.