A lineup change paid immediate dividends as the Memphis Tigers rolled past Alabama-Birmingham 100-77 at the FedEx Forum on Sunday, Jan. 25.
Dain Dainja’s insertion into the starting five was an attempt by Tiger’s coach Penny Hardaway to cut turnovers after a miscue-filled game against Wichita State on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The inclusion of the multi-skilled big man appeared to work. The Tigers cut their turnovers to 12. Against Wichita State, they committed 20 turnovers overall. Previous starting center Moussa Cisse moved to the bench, where he provided rebounding, defense and energy.
“We have been thinking about it for a month. What I thought would happen, happened. He went out there and dominated. Moussa had nine points and eight rebounds in only 15 minutes,” confided a hoarse-voiced Hardaway. “With a 23-point win, you would think I wouldn’t sound like this.”
Dainja responded positively too. He finished the game with a season-high 21 points on an efficient 8-10 from the field. The burly 6’9” forward also grabbed eight rebounds. The bulk of the output came in the first half. Dainja scored 16 of his points in the period.
More importantly, the Tigers cut their turnovers to three in the frame. At the midway point against Wichita State, they had already committed 14.
Entering the tunnel with a 52-39 advantage, Memphis continued to press at the start of the second half. The Tigers built their lead to 64-45, on a Nicholas Jourdain three-point shot with 16:13 on the clock. The senior forward stepped up his scoring after Dainja ran into foul trouble early in the second half.
Jourdain scored seven of his 11 overall points in the final nine minutes to provide a consistent scoring outlet late in the game. Meanwhile, Dainja fouled out with 6:21 after a review that assessed he committed a fifth foul. Memphis led 82-63 at that point.
The margin would continue to grow. Memphis outscored the Blazers 48-38 in the second period. The Tigers shot a blistering 71% in the second half, to finish with a 62.3% overall after hitting 32-61 shots. Alabama-Birmingham hit a moribund 38.5% for the game on 25-65 shooting.
PJ Haggerty led all scorers with 23 points on 9-16 shooting, including 2-2 from beyond the arc. He also had a career high nine assists to go along with six rebounds. The sophomore currently ranks second in the nation with 22.1 points per game.
“I was just trying to make the game easier. I am a tough shot maker. I was trying to get my teammates the ball. They got hot early and I was able to find my grove later,” said Haggerty.
Memphis had 24 assists on the night. The Blazers connected with teammates 13 times.
UAB was led by Efram Johnson, who scored 21 points. The junior guard also hit 5-9 from deep. Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Bradley Ezewiro came off the bench to chip in 19 points and seven rebounds.
Alabama-Birmingham falls to 12-8, 5-2 AAC, Memphis improves to 16-4, 6-1. The Tigers currently hold a first place tie with conference foe North Texas, whom they defeated 68-64 on Jan. 5.
Memphis will hit the road for a pair of games. The first leg of the trip will be to New Orleans to face the Tulane Green Wave on Thursday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. The next stop will be Houston to defend against the host Rice Owls on Sunday, Feb. 2.
