RECAP: No. 19 Memphis survives late scare at Rice

Memphis basketball avenged last year’s upset loss to Rice on Sunday—though it was too close for comfort.

The No. 19 Tigers (18-4, 8-1 AAC) narrowly defeated the Owls 86-83 inside Tudor Fieldhouse for their fifth consecutive victory. Rice was No. 197 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) before tipoff, making this Memphis’ fifth Quad 3 win this season. Penny Hardaway’s club returns to FedExForum to face Tulsa on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Memphis shot 55% overall and 52% on 3-pointers. It also outrebounded Rice 36-34 while recording 20 assists, 14 forced turnovers, 11 offensive boards, 8 steals and 4 blocks. The Tigers led the Owls for 38 minutes and six seconds despite the advantage changing hands 4 times.

Rob Lanier’s team (11-11, 2-7 AAC) shot 45% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line. It also compiled 16 forced turnovers, 16 assists, 14 offensive rebounds, 8 steals and 5 blocks. Trae Broadnax (19), Jacob Dar (17) and Alem Huseinovic (13) scored in double figures for Rice. Broadnax also tossed a game-high 6 assists.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ visit to Houston.

Memphis lights up the 3-point line early

Memphis hardly missed any shot to start Sunday’s game.

The Tigers hit 10 of their first 14 field-goal attempts, including four combined 3-pointers from Colby Rogers and PJ Carter. Carter drilled three shots from beyond the arc in just over two minutes to give Memphis a 24-14 advantage at the 11:37 mark in the first half. Dante Harris sank two more 3-pointers later in the period.

The Tigers were 6-of-10 from the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes, and led by as many as 12 points before halftime.

Sloppy play keeps Rice alive

The Tigers’ fast-pace eventually caught up with them, as Lanier’s aggressive defensive pressure helped Rice get back in the game.

The Owls scored 12 points off 9 forced turnovers in the first half, and even briefly took the lead after an 11-0 run in less than three minutes. Rogers, PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja all committed 2 turnovers each during the period. Haggerty, Dainja, Tyrese Hunter and Nick Jourdain all picked up 2 personal fouls in that span too.

Memphis led 44-39 at intermission, but 3 giveaways by Harris in the first seven minutes of the second half helped Rice cut the deficit to a point with 10:52 on the clock.

Carter’s heroics save the Tigers

Memphis seemingly had the Owls beat with an 11-point lead and less than three minutes to play. Lanier’s team, however, had one last gasp.

Rice unleashed a 11-2 run over the next two minutes. A missed foul shot by Haggerty led to a Dar 3-pointer that trimmed Memphis’ lead to 82-21 with 12 seconds remaining. Haggerty then redeemed himself with two makes at the charity stripe, but Broadnax did the same after Hunter fouled him to prevent a 3-pointer that could’ve tied the game.

Hunter then faced heavy pressure during the following inbound, but Carter willed himself open, caught the ball and drew a Rice foul just before a five-second violation. Carter, who hasn’t missed a free throw this year, drilled two more to put Memphis back up by 3 points. The Tigers then forced a five-second violation that looked to have ended the game, but Broadnax stole the ball from Hunter to earn Rice one last possession.

Carter didn’t panic, though, swatting Broadnax’s full-court heave as time expired on the Owls. He finished the game with 19 points while shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. This is his third-straight outing with double-digit points.

Haggerty, who grew up 25 minutes away from Houston, starred in his return home with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals on 11-of-18 shooting. Hunter totaled 19 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals on 63% shooting.