RECAP: No. 21 Memphis uses second-half comeback to edge Virginia

No. 21 Memphis had one of its worst offensive performances this season, but it still left Charlottesville, Virginia with a victory Wednesday night.

The Tigers (9-2) defeated Virginia 64-62 inside John Paul Jones Arena despite trailing by 9 points at halftime. This adds another Quad 2 win to Memphis’ resume, which can be further improved with two Quad 1 opportunities against Mississippi State on Saturday (11:30 a.m., CBS) and No. 17 Ole Miss on Dec. 28. Both of those games take place at FedExForum.

Memphis, which now owns seven wins in Quads 1 and 2, shot 38% from the field and 22% from 3-point range. It also outrebounded Virginia 38-31 while recording 28 points in the paint, 14 offensive boards, 12 forced turnovers, 11 assists, 6 blocks and 3 steals. The Tigers never trailed again after the game’s single lead change in the second half.

Ron Sanchez’s team (6-5) shot 40% overall and 32% on 3-pointers. It also scored 21 points off 12 forced turnovers while compiling 14 assists, 9 offensive rebounds, 8 steals and 7 blocks. Virginia lost the contest despite being ahead for 23 minutes and 32 seconds. Elijah Saunders and Taine Murray led UVA with 15 and 14 points respectively.

Here are some takeaways from Penny Hardaway’s sixth consecutive win over an ACC program.

Turnovers burn Memphis in the opening minutes

The Tigers’ lackluster ball security proved costly to start Wednesday’s game.

Memphis finished the first half with 7 turnovers, including 4 in less than six minutes. Virginia took advantage by scoring 14 points off those giveaways. That accounted for almost half of UVA’s offensive production in the opening period.

PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers combined for 5 first-half turnovers, while Tyrese Hunter and Nick Jourdain also gave the Cavaliers an extra possession each before intermission.

Memphis’ shooting falters in the first half

Memphis entered the contest as the nation’s No. 2 perimeter shooting team, but it mostly did anything but put the ball through the basket in the first half.

The Tigers shot just 29% on field goals and a lousy 14% from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Hunter—a 51.6% 3-point shooter this season—was just 1-of-5 from deep during the period. Rogers shot 0-for-4, and Haggerty went to halftime with an 0-for-2 clip from the 3-point line. Dain Dainja led all scorers with 9 points and 6 rebounds at intermission, but no other Tiger scored more than 6.

Virginia, which shot 40% on 3-pointers in the first half, led 30-21 at the break.

Haggerty lifts Memphis to victory in the second half

Hardaway insisted that Memphis doesn’t need Haggerty’s heroics all the time during his weekly radio show Monday, but the 6-foot-3 guard had no choice but to don his cape at Virginia.

Haggerty scored 21 second-half points, and finished with 27 for the game on 8-for-15 shooting. He also notched 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Memphis outscored UVA 43-32 in the final period, and bounced out of halftime with a 26-9 run in the first nine minutes and 41 seconds that saw Haggerty drop 15 points.

Dainja finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal. Hunter also scored 12 points to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Tigers scored 18 points in the paint, including 12 in their first 12 field goal attempts of the half. They also shot 3-of-9 on 3-pointers and 14-of-18 from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes.