Game Recap: Memphis Conquers The Trojans of Little Rock

Hey Alexa, what’s the definition of a trap game? Memphis vs. Little Rock.

The Memphis Tigers could’ve easily looked ahead. In comparison to the upcoming 3 game stretch for the Tigers, tonight’s game paled in comparison. But Memphis still had to take care of business against a well-coached team.

1st Half

As the game started, the Tigers lacked execution and poise offensively. A DeAndre Williams dunk with 14:40 left in the 1st half to push the Tigers lead to 7-4 was exactly the spark needed. The best offense for the Tigers, however, is a great defense. Memphis’s first basket came from a Jayden Hardaway lay-up off of Little Rock’s 1st turnover. Memphis’s third basket came from an Alex Lomax lay-up off of Little Rock’s 2nd turnover. Notice a pattern? Well, it continued throughout the 1st half.

Memphis scored 18 points on 11 first-half Trojan turnovers. Malcolm Dandridge’s dunk from another Trojan turnover and a Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu slam on the following possession gave the Tigers a 15-8 lead with at the 12:32 mark.

Then the Keonte Kennedy and Jayden Hardaway show started. Keonte scored the next 7, including an amazing put-back dunk that brought the FedEx Forum alive. Then Jayden scored the next 8 hitting back-to-back 3s and a lay-up to put Memphis up 32-14 with 5:45 left. He finished the game with a career high 16 points on 7-9 shooting.

Balanced scoring from Chandler Lawson, Alex Lomax, and Kendric Davis helped Memphis finish the half with a 46-30 lead at half.

2nd Half

The 2nd Half started a bit like the 1st. Memphis’s defense led to transition opportunities and easy buckets. Little Rock had 3 turnovers in the first 3 minutes of the half leading to points the other way. The active hands and quickness of the Tigers really bothered the Trojans who struggled to find any offensive rhythm. Memphis led Little Rock 55-39 with 15:14 to play.

What followed was a 9-0 Tigers run. Keonte Kennedy continued his strong play with back-to-back buckets: a sweet corner 3 and a driving lay-up. Then DeAndre Williams showed his offensive versatility.

After finishing at the rim on one possession, DeAndre found Malcolm Dandridge with a saucy over-the-shoulder pass to Malco for the jam. Mr. Williams feeling it on offense is a beautiful sight to behold.

With all the good things happening for the Tigers, one big concern tonight was Kendric Davis. With 10:10 left in the game, Davis only had 8 points on 3-15 shooting. His jump shots weren’t falling, and he struggled to finish at the rim. To make matters worse, Kendric was ejected for headbutting a Little Rock player with 10:10 left and the Tigers with a 64-48 lead.

A couple minutes later, Malcolm Dandridge was called for a technical foul. Though Memphis held a 16-point lead, the Tigers needed to regain their composure and execute on both ends of the floor. Little Rock felt the tides change and started to pressure Memphis cutting the lead to 14 with 5:30 left.

Though the score wasn’t exactly close, the game stayed chippy. Alex Lomax fouled out at the 4:12 mark leaving Memphis without both its starting guards. That left DeAndre Williams as the primary offensive option, which isn’t a bad thing. He scored the next 6 points icing the game for the Tigers.

Memphis prevailed over Little Rock 87-71.

Quick Takeaways:

1. Kendric’s struggles cannot continue.

It doesn’t take a basketball genius to understand that the Memphis Tigers will go as far as Kendric Davis takes them. He was horrible against Little Rock: 8 points (3-15 FGs, 0-2 FTs), 2 steals, 4 assists. That’s not going to cut it against better teams. Let’s hope he bounces back Saturday.

2. Defense is Memphis’s calling card, again.

According to the man, the myth, the legend, Ken Pomeroy, Memphis ranks 15th nationally in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. After tonight’s performance, that ranking might go up. Granted, this was against an inferior opponent. Nevertheless, Memphis forced Little Rock to commit 17 turnovers and held the Trojans to 35.7% from the field. But much bigger tests loom.

3. Keonte Kennedy is the X-Factor.

We know what we’ll get from A-Lo, DeAndre, and (hopefully) KD. But with no Damaria Franklin, Keonte Kennedy must be an efficient, offensive spark if Memphis is going to pull off the upsets over the next few games. The key-word is efficient. Tonight, Keonte was exactly that with 14 points on 6-9 shooting.

The Battle of the Tigers between Memphis and Auburn is up next on Saturday.