RECAP: Jahvon Quinerly buries second-straight game-winning 3-pointer to lift No. 15 Memphis past SMU in Sunday matinee

Sunday afternoon concluded a shaky weekend for Memphis basketball.

The Tigers watched their heralded non-conference wins lose a whole lot of value Saturday, but rectified that by earning a Quad 2 win over SMU a day later. No. 15 Memphis (13-2) beat Mustangs 62-59 and improved to 2-0 in AAC play. This was also the Tigers’ first outing since guard Caleb Mills suffered a season-ending injury at Tulsa Thursday.

Memphis shot 44% from the field, 30% from 3-point range and 53% from the free throw line. The Tigers also forced 16 turnovers, including 6 steals, and compiled 10 blocks and 13 assists. The U of M beat the Mustangs despite trailing for 28:18 of the 40-minute contest.

SMU (10-5) shot 34% on its field goal attempts, 57% at the charity stripe and a dreadful 14% from the 3-point line. The Mustangs, like Memphis, forced 16 turnovers and stole the ball nine times. Rob Lanier’s team totaled 19 offensive rebounds, 12 assists and 6 blocks despite the loss.

Memphis now looks shore up its weaknesses and get back to pre-Christmas form before hosting another AAC foe in UTSA Wednesday night.

Here are some takeaways from the Tigers’ gusty win.

Late Memphis run salvages an otherwise disastrous first half

Memphis had no answers for SMU’s half-court defense in the game’s 20 minutes. The Mustangs were ranked No. 6 in defensive efficiency heading into Sunday’s contest.

The Tigers got stifled at nearly every turn, shooting just 10-of-24 from the field in the first half. Memphis even had a stretch where it went more than six minutes without making a field goal, which was only broken by a goaltending call against SMU with 6:08 left in the first half.

The Mustangs led by as much as 15 with 5:04 remaining until halftime, but Jayhlon Young’s intense play gave Memphis a small spark in the opening period’s waning moments. The 6-foot-2 guard first made a fastbreak layup off a Nick Jourdain steal. He then assisted Jaykwon Walton for the latter’s first 3-pointer of the game. And Young concluded the 7-0 run by converting another bucket at the rim, cutting SMU’s lead to 30-22 with 1:45 left in the first half.

That’s as close as Memphis would get before halftime, however, as the Mustangs then closed the half on a 6-2 run and claimed a 36-24 advantage at the break.

SMU controls the glass in first half

SMU simply outhustled Memphis for rebounds throughout the afternoon.

The Mustangs outrebounded the Tigers 25-9 in the first half, including 12 offensive boards. Keon Ambrose-Hylton finished the period with 4 points and 3 offensive rebounds. Ja’Heim Hudson also grabbed 3 offensive rebounds to go with his 3 first half points. Both Jalen and Tyreek Smith secured the ball twice on the offensive glass.

Memphis was far from perfect in the second half, but it did get things a bit more under control on the glass. The Tigers outrebounded SMU 26-18 in the game’s final period, though the Mustangs still grabbed 7 offensive rebounds. Memphis, however, nabbed 5 offensive boards itself in the second half, which really helped Hardaway’s team turn the tide Sunday afternoon.

SMU won the overall rebounding battle 43-35.

Memphis speeds up SMU in the second half, Jahvon Quinerly comes through again.

The Tigers opened the second half on a 10-2 run to cut SMU’s 12-point halftime lead to just four at the 16:34 mark.

They then went on another 7-3 run to tie the game at 41-41 with 13:19 left. Finally, through all the missed free throws and empty offensive possessions, Memphis took its first lead of the game at 49-46 after David Jones nailed a mid-range jumper despite being fouled, plus a made free throw.

SMU later worked its way back to a tied game with 2:01 to go, the two teams having scored 58 apiece. Both schools then reached a complete standstill, with neither giving an inch defensively. Memphis kept chunking up 3-pointer after 3-pointer, while the Mustangs continuously missed opportunity after opportunity—whether it be missed free throws, jumpers clanking to the floor or layups being rejected at the rim.

The Tigers tied up the Mustangs with 12 seconds to go, and the possession arrow just so happened to go their way. So Memphis had its chance to take the final shot of regulation. Jahvon Quinerly, however, saw his chance to enact déjà vu. Just like he did Thursday at Tulsa, Quinerly sized his defender up, stepped back and drained a game-winning 3-pointer with three ticks left on the clock. And like Tulsa, SMU could not answer.

Jones led the Tigers with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists on 6-for-16 shooting. Quinerly racked up 11 points and 4 assists. Walton scored 10 points and 4-of-8 shooting. Malcolm Dandridge recorded 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Young compiled 6 points and 3 rebounds. Jourdain had 4 blocks and 3 steals. Nae’Qwan Tomlin finished with just 2 points and 3 rebounds after fouling out.