The slow starts that have hampered the University of Memphis at FedExForum did not come into play against East Carolina on Thursday night. Yet, it was the last 12 minutes of the game that landed it in the win column (71-54) for the Tigers.
Memphis (11-8, 5-4 AAC) jumped out to a 15-5 lead over the Pirates, somewhat in the fashion of the 19-point advantage the Tigers built in an earlier game against ECU. The Tigers lost that first matchup.
This time around, the Pirates chipped away at the Tiger’s early lead and trimmed it to four points (28-24) by halftime. With both teams shooting poorly, ECU rode an 8-4 run to tie the game at 32 with 15:34 left to play.
That set up the deciding 12 minutes and a message delivered by head coach Penny Hardaway, said the Tigers’ Lester Quinones (17 points, 4 rebounds).
“Coach Hardaway came into the media timeout and said, ‘It is winning time now. Forget about everything that has happened so far. These last 12 minutes we have to lock in and do what we prepared for all week.’ We practiced hard all week. It helped to get the lead we got later in the game.”
Memphis found an offensive groove, going on a 15-4 run to take a 48-36 lead with 8:55 left in the game. The Tigers’ scoring in the game reflected a balanced attack. Quinones tallied 17 points and 4 rebounds, with Josh Minott having a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Earl Timberlake turning in a solid performance (8 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists).
The Tigers’ defense was stout, fueled by 10 blocks. Malcolm Dandridge had three of those.
“We are getting close,” said Hardaway, referencing the Memphis Defense getting to the desired level.
“This next week is going to be a big week for us. We are implementing different things every day as I see our weaknesses in the games. We are adding those to drills and being better in the half-court. We are trying to take the top two guys (from the opposing team) out and keeping them to low percentages. We are getting better and we are getting healthier.”
The Pirates finished the game shooting 26 percent, making only 6 of 29 shots from three-point range. ECU (11-8, 2-5 AAC) was led by Tristen Newton with 19 points and 4 rebounds.
With a revolving door of players as the result of injuries and COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Hardaway said, “I am proud of the team. … They are holding the team together while everyone gets healthy.”
Chandler Lawson logged 19 minutes as he works his way back into the rotation after an injury. He had 6 points, 3 rebounds and an assist.
“Chandler is very important to us. He is going to do everything we need. His minutes are going to increase,” said Hardaway. “I don’t want to overplay him because he has been out so long.
“I don’t want him to get injured by playing too much. He is maximizing his minutes with his activity, to his talking and understanding our game plan. He makes sure people are in the right places. He is the most important player out there because he is the best communicator on the floor.”
Lawson said he is getting more into the flow daily.
“It is all about practice and confidence. I keep practicing hard … and it (his rhythm) will come back to normal.”
Told about Hardaway’s comments about him as a communicator, Lawson said, “That is amazing coming from Penny. Being a communicator, you just have to read the defense. I am at the back of the line, and I see everything.
“I keep everyone aware of what is coming. We have had players to get concussions off of screens. That (communicating) is my job.”
Next up
The Tigers have a break before traveling to play the Bearcats (14-6, 4-3) of Cincinnati on Feb. 3. Memphis defeated the Bearcats (87-80) earlier this season at FedExForum.
