RECAP: Memphis defeats No. 16 Ole Miss to finish non-conference slate

Memphis basketball now owns a nation-high eight wins in Quads 1 and 2.

The Tigers (10-3) defeated No. 16 Ole Miss 87-70 at FedExForum Saturday afternoon—avenging their 13-point loss to No. 19 Mississippi State in the same building a week prior. The Rebels are currently No. 31 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, making this a Quad 2 victory for Penny Hardaway’s club. But it would become a Quad 1 win if Ole Miss jumps into the top 30.

Memphis next begins American Athletic Conference (AAC) play at Florida Atlantic on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN2).

The Tigers shot 48% overall and 37% from the 3-point line. They also outrebounded Ole Miss 45-34 while putting up 15 assists, 12 offensive boards, 11 forced turnovers, 9 blocks and 6 steals. Memphis led the Rebels for 39 minutes and 18 seconds, and never trailed.

Chris Beard’s team (11-2) shot 36% on field goals and 25% from deep. It additionally notched 13 forced turnovers, 13 assists, 11 offensive rebounds, 8 steals and 6 blocks. Sean Pedulla (13), Jaylen Murray (12) and Malik Dia (11) all scored double-figure points for Ole Miss.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ resume-boosting win.

Colby Rogers is back

The Wichita State transfer shot a combined 1-for-19 from the field and 0-of-12 from 3-point range against Virginia and Mississippi State, but he bounced back emphatically vs. the Rebels.

Rogers finished the first half with a game-high 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting (3-for-4 from beyond the arc). Tigers leading scorer PJ Haggerty fell right behind him with 10 first-half points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Memphis finished the opening period with a 40% overall shooting clip.

Rogers ended up with a season-high 28 points while shooting 10-for-16 overall and 6-of-9 on 3-pointers. He also nabbed 4 rebounds and a block.

New Tiger Dante Harris made his debut, but he only scored a single point in seven minutes.

Memphis squanders first-half run

Moussa Cisse—a former Rebel—began Saturday’s contest with a bang after slamming in a Haggerty lob.

Momentum continuously slid Memphis’ way for much of the first half afterwards. The Tigers’ relentless defense held Ole Miss to 28.5% shooting in the first 12 minutes and 23 seconds, and Memphis led 27-14 with just over seven minutes until halftime.

But Beard’s club crawled back into the game with a 22-11 run to end the opening period. Memphis clung onto a 38-36 advantage during the break.

Cisse’s double-double leads Memphis to victory

The 6-foot-11 center made the court his in the second half.

Cisse compiled 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks alone in the final 20 minutes. He finished the game with 13 points and 11 boards (7 offensive).

His contributions helped Memphis begin the final period with a 12-4 run to go back up by double digits. The Tigers eventually stretched their lead up to as many as 19 points at the 1:30 mark in the latter half.

Haggerty concluded his outing with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal. Dain Dainja totaled 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal on 6-for-7 shooting despite committing 4 personal fouls. Nick Jourdain recorded 8 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.