It wouldn't be a Memphis Tigers basketball experience without some wild drama. Down 15 at the half against UAB on Sunday (3/3) at FedExForum Memphis zipped back on top of the Blazers using a 45-9 run. Yes. 45-9. 92.9 FM ESPN 2-4PM Weekday Host/CA Columnist Mark Giannotto pointed out on X, like many fans, he'd never seen anything like it.
Once again the trio of Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Jahvon Quinerly, and David Jones made it happen for Memphis. Jones had a game leading 32 points along with 9 rebounds. Tomlin scored 28 points. Quinerly finished with 25 points.
Out of halftime Memphis surged to a lead coming all the way back in just over 3-minutes. That's when UAB Coach Andy Kennedy decided that he was done. Literally. Kennedy was tossed after trying to approach the referees.
Next game: Memphis Tigers, now 4th in the American, travel to FAU to take on the Owls Saturday (3/9) at 11:00 a.m. on CBS. It's a big one for Penny and the Tigers who feel they could still seek an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, should they also make a case in the AAC Conference Tournament (win or lose).
Full coverage of Penny and the Tigers Monday and all week long on 92.9 FM ESPN, Memphis' Sports Station.
Memphis Stages Largest Comeback in Hardaway Era in 106-87 Win over UAB
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men's basketball team staged the largest comeback in six seasons under head coach Penny Hardaway , coming back from a 22-point deficit to defeat UAB, 106-87, at FedExForum on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers (22-8, 11-6 AAC) became just the second NCAA Division I team since 2010-11 to win a game by 15 or more points after trailing by 20 or more points. After trailing UAB (18-11, 10-6 AAC), 61-39, with 1:25 minutes left in the first half, Memphis reeled off a 20-0 run to get back into the game and went on to out-score the Blazers, 60-26, in the second half.
David Jones scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Nae’Qwan Tomlin added 28 points and seven boards. Jahvon Quinerly totaled 25 points, four assists and three rebounds in the win.
Midway through the first half with the game knotted at 20-20, UAB went on a hot streak, connecting on 18-of-20 field goal attempts, while the Tigers missed 10-consecutive shots. Memphis managed to cut its 22-point deficit down to 15 at the break when Quinerly reeled off a personal 7-0 run that featured a logo three-pointer to send the Tigers into the locker room, trailing 61-46.
UAB shot 67.6 percent (23-34) in the opening 20 minutes and connected on eight triples, while Memphis shot 38.2 percent (13-34) with just four long balls.
The second 20 minutes were a different story. By the first media timeout of the half, the Tigers had already wiped out the entire deficit and taken a three-point lead. That stretch featured 20-straight points by Memphis en route to a 46-9 run over 12-plus minutes that saw the Tigers take an 85-70 advantage with 8:30 to play. Memphis never let UAB get any closer than 13 points and even extended its lead to 21 in the final minute before the horn blew on the 106-87 victory.
The Tigers finished the night shooting 47.9-percent overall (35-73) with eight three-pointers and 28 free throws.
UAB had five players in double figures, led by Alejandro Vasquez ’s 18 points. The Blazers shot 54.2 percent on the night (32-59) with nine triples and 14 free throws.
UP NEXT
With one game left to play in the regular season, Memphis will get some time off this week before heading to Boca Raton, Florida to face Florida Atlantic in the regular season finale. Tip is set for 11 a.m. CT on CBS.
POSTGAME NOTES
Memphis used the starting lineup of Jahvon Quinerly , David Jones , Nae’Qwan Tomlin , Nicholas Jourdain and Jaykwon Walton for the sixth time this season.The Tigers improved to 5-1 with that starting group.Memphis improved to 40-12 all-time against UAB, while Penny Hardaway improved to 3-1 as head coach.The Tigers improved to 24-2 at home against the Blazers, winning 17-straight meetings.The Tigers shot 28-of-36 at the free throw line for the second-most makes of the season. David Jones led the Tigers in scoring for the 24 th time this season with 32 points.The senior just missed his 11 th double-double with nine rebounds (five offensive), while swiping a team-high three steals.Jones scored 24 of his points in the second half after recording just eight before the break. Nae’Qwan Tomlin recorded his third-straight 20-point game with a career high 28 points.The Harlem, New York native shot 11-of-15 from the floor, tying his career high in field-goal makes while grabbing seven boards (five offensive) and two steals. Jahvon Quinerly finished one shy his career high with 25 points in 36 minutes.He led the team with four assists and drew a team-high seven fouls.The fifth-year point guard also had a career-high night at the free-throw line with 10 makes (10-14).The three-headed monster of Jones, Tomlin and Quinerly combined for 85 points after scoring 41 in the first half. Jaykwon Walton finished the night with just three points, but he grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Jayden Hardaway added six points on a pair of three-pointers, and Nicholas Jourdain totaled eight points, four rebounds and three dimes.Memphis scored a season high 52 points in the paint, marking just the second time this season it reached 50 in a game.The Tigers scored a season-best 33 points off 18 Blazer miscues.Memphis also reached a season high in second-chance points with 27.The 20-point run by the Tigers was their second largest of the season (21 vs. Villanova).
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