The clutch gene, not too many people have it.
Kendric Davis certainly does. Though Memphis came up short in a disappointing double overtime loss to UCF, Davis proved once again he can be called on when needed the most.
Don’t let the 10-8 record for the Temple Owls fool you. This is a quality basketball team that ranks third in the AAC with a 4-1 record. Entering Sunday afternoon, Memphis only had eight scholarship players available. A road win without key contributors Alex Lomax, Malcolm Dandridge and Jayden Hardaway was not going to be easy. But with the Tigers’ margin for error shrinking after each loss, winning by any means necessary was paramount.
1st Half
A bounce-back game from DeAndre Williams was needed for Memphis today. He got off to the right start with two early triples to start the scoring.
Perimeter defense was another point of emphasis, and the Tigers started well with solid rotations and controlled close-outs. An Elijah McCadden floater gave Memphis an early 8-2 lead.
But the early story was the oldest player in college basketball as he scored eight of Memphis’s first 10 points pushing the Tigers to a 10-4 lead with 15:13 left in half.
After the media timeout, Memphis hit a cold streak allowing Temple back in the game. The Tigers failed to score in their first eight possessions after the break and went on a 4:39 scoring drought allowing Temple to take its first lead of the game 12-10 at the 11:18 mark.
So who broke the scoring drought for Memphis? Who else but DeAndre Williams. After a nice lay-up from first time starter Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Williams hit 1-2 free throws to give the Tigers a three-point lead. But that didn’t last long as Temple hit its first three of the game to tie it back up.
Back and forth they went as both teams traded buckets. But one player who had yet to make his mark was Kendric Davis. After dropping a 42-piece in Orlando, he had failed to score so far in the game as Memphis trailed 18-17 with only 6:05 to go in the first.
Thankfully for Davis, he scored his first two points off a nice mid-range jumper to give them the lead. After a Temple dunk, the Owls had a fast-break chance to extend the lead. But Kao had other ideas. He flew in out of nowhere for a highlight reel chase-down block.
After a dysfunctional offensive sequence for the Tigers led to a turnover, Temple’s Khalil Battle rose up for a dunk and was met at the rim by Johnathan Lawson. Unfortunately for Lawson and the Tigers, he made contact with Battle’s face forcing the refs to call a Flagrant 1 on the young guard. Memphis wasn’t punished too badly by the flagrant as Battle only went 1-of-2 from the line and the Owls committed a shot-clock violation. Kendric Davis took advantage of that as he drove the lane for a sweet lay-up. Memphis finished the half with a needed stop to enter halftime with a 25-23 advantage.
Offense was at a premium as both teams struggled from the floor. Memphis shot only 36.7 percent from the field, while Temple shot 25.9 percent. They also combined for 18 turnovers as Memphis committed seven of them and forced 11 Temple turnovers. DeAndre Williams was the lone bright spot for the Tigers with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
2nd Half
Penny Hardaway started the second half with the same lineup that started the game. Kao made a nice defensive play to start the half. But it was Temple who scored the first two points on its following possession to tie the game. Memphis’s struggles from the floor and from three continued. While the Tigers were getting good looks, they failed to knock open shots down. Untimely turnovers also cost Memphis such as one by Keonte Kennedy as he was only walking the ball up the floor. He partially made up for it with a couple free throws to tie the game at 29 with 16:04 to go.
After multiple scoreless possessions from both teams, Chandler Lawson hit a jumper followed by two Temple free-throws to tie the game again at 31. The outcome of this game seemed based on which team would go on an offensive spurt first. Unfortunately for Memphis, that team was Temple as they opened up a five-point lead after only its second triple of the game.
Kendric Davis responded with a finish at the rim as he looked to get going. Memphis trailed Temple 41-33 with 10:20 left. After a missed Temple jumper, Davis grabbed the board and threw a perfect outlet pass to a streaking DeAndre Williams for a much needed slam and the foul to cut the lead to five.
But Temple responded with back-to-back buckets pushing the lead to nine. Davis then missed a free-throw on the next possession embodying the Tigers’ struggles shooting the ball.
Memphis showed some life though after a Keonte lay-up and a KD finish after forcing a turnover. Temple still led 45-40 at the 7:46 mark.
Though Davis missed another front end of a one-and-one, he made a big play with a steal and dime to Elijah McCadden for an and-one lay-up cutting the lead to two. But as the same story looked to continue as the Owls responded with four straight points, Kendric Davis woke up.
A three in his defender’s eye was followed by another steal and a lay-up and another triple to tie the game at 51 with 3:30 to play. Though Davis hasn’t given much offensively so far, he has a knack for hitting shots when it matters the most.
As the saying goes, big-time players make big-time plays.
DeAndre Williams is a big-time player, and he made two clutch free throws to give Memphis the lead 53-51 with 3:18 left. This was the Tigers’ first lead since the 14:41 mark in the second half. Johnathan Lawson extended that lead to four with a couple more free throws. But much like the UCF game, closing this one out wasn’t going to be easy.
Temple hit two free throws of its own and sunk only its third three of the game to give them a one-point lead.
56-55. 1:44 left. Memphis ball.
Everyone in the gym knew who the Tigers would go to. Kendric Davis put his team on his back in the clutch once again. For whatever reason though, Davis had an easy path to the rim and gave Memphis the lead. After a possession where the Tigers played fantastic team defense with crisp rotations and disciplined on-ball defending, Memphis grabbed the rebound with a chance to extend its lead.
57-56. 50.3 left. Memphis ball.
DeAndre Williams got a fantastic look with a corner three after an Elijah McCadden find. But once again, it didn’t fall. Luckily for the Tigers, Kendric Davis forced Temple guard Damian Dunn to his off-hand as he tried to finish at the rim with his left. Dunn got a solid look, and all of Memphis held its collective breath. Then the city let out a sigh of relief as the lay-up hit back-board and the left side of the rim. Two clutch Williams free-throws pushed the lead to three.
59-56. 12.9 left. Temple ball.
Neither team lit it up from deep. Temple was only 3-of-28 up to this point. So it was likely Memphis would play this straight up. The Tigers didn’t foul. There’s a saying about history, though.
History repeats itself. Memphis has a history of poor three-point defending and leaving people wide-open for no real reason. History repeated itself as Dunn was left wide open and made the Tigers pay.
59-59. 2.1 left. Memphis ball.
Kendric got the ball with about four seconds left. But as he crossed half-court, Hardaway called a timeout with 2.1 left. This was an odd decision as Davis was about to go up for a lay-up that he could’ve either finished or forced the ref to call a foul. Regardless, Memphis had the ball out of bounds.
Odd decision, huh? Well, Hardaway drew up a play that allowed Kendric Davis to roll off a screen for a catch and shoot opportunity. Davis flew off the screen, caught the ball, and rose up for a fadeaway with a hand in his face. The ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity before it splashed home.
Game. Blouses. Memphis won 61-59.
Quick Takeaways
- King Kendric has “it.”
Whatever “it” is, Kendric Davis has “it.” With the Tigers struggling to score any points and the game starting to slip away as Temple opened up a nine-point lead, Davis stepped up. The score was 45-36 with 8:19 left to play. Of Memphis’s next 25 points, Davis scored 14 of them. In another night where he lacked efficiency for most of the game and just looked off, Davis flipped a switch and willed the Tigers to a victory. Incredible.
2. Still no consistent third guy.
There’s no reason to harp on the poor three-point shooting performance from the Tigers. This roster was never going to shoot well from deep. The bigger concern is the lack of a legitimate third option that has yet to emerge. Damaria Franklin was the easy answer to that question entering conference play. Yet, he hasn’t shown anything for people to believe he will be the guy. Elijah McCadden had a couple good games of late. But his offensive versatility is limited. Though Keonte Kennedy has the tools to be a solid scorer, he’s too inconsistent. As amazing as it is to watch Kendric Davis take over games and DeAndre Williams hit tough shots, a third guy must emerge in the coming weeks for Memphis to reach its ceiling.
Memphis heads home to face Wichita St. on Friday, January 19 at 6pm.