PJ Haggery scored 25 points to lead the well-rested Memphis Tigers over the resilient East Carolina Pirates 74-70 and notch their third win in the American Athletic Conference at the FedEx Forum on Saturday, Jan. 11.
Memphis’ record improves to 13-3. The Tigers are the only AAC team without a loss in conference play.
Haggerty’s work at the charity stripe in the final minutes of the game sealed the victory for Memphis. The senior guard would shoot a perfect six out of six from the line in the final 1:25 of the game, after the Pirates began fouling to preserve time on the clock.
“East Carolina hung around long enough to make it a game. We did not have the energy and effort. We turned the ball over. I am happy we got out of here with a victory,” said Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway.
The Pirates were reduced to the late-game tactic after a Tyrese Hunter layup, with 18 seconds left on the clock, gave the Tigers a 72-68 lead. Less than a minute before, East Carolina tied the score 68-68 after CJ Walker converted a three-point play at the free-throw line with 1:11 left.
This was preceded by a Colby Rogers turnover and foul that allowed the Pirates to further narrow the score. Cam Hayes cut the deficit to 66-65 with 1:48 left on a pair of free throws.
“We got away from the details. We did not take care of the ball. They went on a 6-0 run and gave them confidence to get back into the game. We were a little more hesitate and not confident,” said Hunter.
Haggerty led all scorers with 25 points on 7-16 shooting. He also shot 10-10 from the free throw line. Tyrese Hunter added 14 points and senior forward Dain Dainja chipped in 10 points off the bench.
The 6” 3’ sophomore is one of 25 men’s college players recently named to the mid-season watchlist for the Wooden Award. The trophy is awarded to the sport’s most outstanding players. He is also tied for fourth in the nation in scoring with a 22.2 points per game average.
“It means a lot, because it is putting Memphis on the map. You are not going to be on that list if you are not winning,” complimented Hardaway.
Hunter finished the game with 14 points. Senior sixth-man Dain Dainja added 10 points and five rebounds from the bench.
Memphis entered the second half with a comfortable 38-24 lead on East Carolina. However, a brisk 9-0 Pirate run capped by a Jayshayne Woodward dunk reduced the margin to 38-33 with 18:21 remaining in the game. Haggerty quickly reversed the trend. The guard finished a six-point run of his own, after Dianja found him for a layup. The score put the Tigers up 44-33 with 17:17 on the clock.
“We saw the film at halftime. We saw where we needed to make the adjustments. We practiced hard. We didn’t carry the practice into the game. These guys were looking at East Carolina, like we were going to win the game. We didn’t close the door,” said Hardaway.
The Tigers largest lead of the game was 17 points. A 15-10 run put Memphis up 36-19 with just over a minute left in the first half.
East Carolina was led by Walker’s 23 points. The senior forward also had seven rebounds. Senior guard R.J. Felton scored 20 points. His 13 rebounds led all players.
The Pirates record falls to 9-8, 1-3.
Memphis will return to the road for their next two games, where they face the Temple Owls on Thursday, Jan. 16. The next leg will take them to Charlotte to face the 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 19. Their next home game will be against Wichita State on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the FedEx Forum. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
