RECAP: North Texas uses 3-point onslaught to beat Memphis

The Tigers took another step back Thursday night.

Memphis (18-7, 7-5 AAC) lost to North Texas 76-66 inside UNT Coliseum after an 18-4 start by the Mean Green and a 10-0 run in the second half. Penny Hardaway’s team had won its last three contests after a four-game losing streak last month. But it’s now down to a 5-5 record in Quads 1 and 2 and 7th-place in the American. Memphis’ hopes for an at-large bid to this year’s NCAA Tournament are now in serious jeopardy, and the Tigers may need to win their final six regular season games to earn one.

The U of M shot 37% from the field and 31% from 3-point range. The Tigers also outrebounded UNT 37-33 while racking up 13 forced turnovers, 12 assists, 8 steals and 2 blocks. Additionally, Memphis recorded 16 offensive rebounds compared to just 10 for North Texas.

Ross Hodge’s team (14-10, 7-5 AAC) shot 44% from the field and 54% from 3-point range. It also compiled 16 assists, 15 forced turnovers, 8 steals and 5 blocks. The Mean Green led the game for over 38 minutes despite missing guards Rubin Jones and CJ Noland.

The Tigers will wrap up their Texas tour when they visit SMU on Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN). Memphis already beat the Mustangs 62-59 at FedExForum on Jan. 7, and will add a fourth Quad 1 victory to its pedigree if it can sweep Rob Lanier’s club for the second straight season.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ loss to the Mean Green.

North Texas gashes Memphis from the 3-point line

Memphis has struggled to defend 3-point shooting all season long, but its hardships in that department reached a breaking point in Denton.

The Mean Green hit their first five 3-point attempts and scored their first 24 points from beyond the arc. Whether it was Jason Edwards, John Buggs III or anyone else, North Texas got whatever it wanted from the perimeter in the first half. The Tigers allowed open 3-pointer after open 3-pointer, and nearly let the game get away from them in the first few minutes.

But they then used a 12-0 run to take a 25-24 lead with 3:36 left until halftime, but UNT still took a 33-30 advantage into the locker room. The Mean Green hit nine 3-pointers in the game’s first 20 minutes, though it also made just two shots from inside the arc.

Memphis did nothing to stop the 3-point barrage in the second half. North Texas used a 10-0 run early in the period to take a 49-38 lead with 12:45 to go, and Memphis never recovered. The Mean Green were 7-for-13 from the 3-point line in the second half, and made just six shots from inside the arc.

Jason Edwards tears up the Tigers

The 6-foot guard has been one of the AAC’s best scorers this season, and he was as good as advertised Thursday night.

The Tigers had no answers for Edwards, who gashed Memphis time and time again throughout the contest. He scored all 15 of his first half points from behind the 3-point line, finishing the period 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Whether he was stepping back into NBA range or taking wide-open jumpers, the sophomore’s heater never stopped.

Edwards scored 15 more points in the second half and made two more 3-pointers. He also put up 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in the game’s final 20 minutes. He finished the game with 30 points on 7-of-9 perimeter shooting.

David Jones and Jahvon Quinerly go cold

The Tigers’ two best players were both putrid against North Texas.

Jones recorded a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds, but he only shot 2-for-13 from the field and 2-for-8 from 3-point range. He also recorded just two assists with two turnovers. The 6-foot-6 wing was still Memphis’ leading scorer, though.

Quinerly completely disappeared for most of the night. The 6-foot-1 guard scored just 8 points while shooting 3-for-10 on his field goal tries and 2-for-7 from beyond the arc. He also put up just 4 rebounds and 3 assists with 3 turnovers.

Jones and Quinerly had a combined plus-minus grade of -10.