DJ Haggerty didn’t let sentiments get the better of him as he scored 23 points to lead the Memphis Tigers over conference adversary Tulsa 83-71 at the FedEx Forum on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Haggerty, who is currently second in Division I in scoring with 21.7 points per game, played for the Golden Hurricanes last season. However, the sophomore’s play for the Tigers this season has put him in the running for the All-American team.
“It was a regular game for me. I know a lot of the players and we are still cool. It was fun to play against them,” said Haggerty.
Tulsa had few answers for Haggerty, who hit 10-13 shots from the field. The 6’3” sophomore guard also hit 3-5 from deep. He was joined by center Dain Dainja, who provided 21 points and six rebounds. The versatile big man also added four assists and a team-high three steals.
“That is our one-two punch. We have a lot of weapons. We are blessed to have those young men. That is something a lot of teams don’t have around the country,” said Memphis coach Penny Hardaway.
Haggerty and Dainja both scored eight points in the first half.
After coming off the bench for most of the season, Hardaway inserted Dainja into the starting lineup for Moisee Cisse after a miscue-filled game against Wichita State on January 23. The change continues to pay off. Memphis had 10 takeaways for the game, while only committing six turnovers.
“That is our one-two punch. We are blessed to have those young men.”
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway
After Cisse left Wednesday’s matchup, with 15:25 left in the second half with a knee-injury, the Tigers once again adjusted their offense. Memphis began to look for shots from the three-point line to stretch the Golden Hurricane defense. They had no problem finding them. Memphis hit 6-10 from deep in the second half. They finished the game hitting 9-21 for a 42.9% clip. The Tigers’ .403 rate leads NCAA Division I basketball.
Cisse would return late in the game.
Memphis entered the second half with a 39-34 lead, after hitting 52% of their shots in first period. The Golden Hurricanes nine first half turnovers offset their 54% first half field goal percentage.
“We started off slow and built an eight-point lead with the bench. We came out in the second half and handled business,” said Hardaway.
Tulsa was led by Tyshawn Archie, who scored 17 points and had four rebounds in reserve. Starters Isaiah Barnes and Dwon Odom chipped in 11 points apiece.
Memphis improves to 19-4, 9-1 American Athletic Conference, while the Golden Hurricanes fall to 9-14, 3-7. The first place Tigers currently hold a one-game lead over Alabama-Birmingham in the AAC standings.
“We are focused on winning the conference. You want to win your conference. It hasn’t happened for us in a long time. We have a lot of basketball left and we want to win conference. We are locked in,” said Hardaway.
Memphis will host the Temple Owls on Sunday, Feb. 9, at the FedEx Forum. The Owls handed the Tigers their only conference loss on January 18 with a 88-81 upset. The grudge match tips-off at 1 p.m.
