PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The American Athletic Conference earned four early-week wins as Temple downed Georgia, 81-77, Cincinnati topped NC Central, 73-51, Tulane beat Coastal Carolina, 73-51 and USF got past Austin Peay in overtime, 74-70. Memphis also gave No. 22 LSU a strong test in Baton Rouge, 76-85.
RESULTS
Temple 81, Georgia 77
With a pair of 25-point efforts, senior Shizz Alston, Jr. and junior Quinton Rose led Temple men's basketball (3-0) past Georgia (1-1) by a score of 81-77 for the Owls' third straight win to start the season. Alston scored his 1,000th career point early in the second half, becoming the 53rd player in program history to do so.
Temple led by as many as 12 three times midway through the second half, but the Bulldogs cut the margin all the way down to two with 27 seconds left.
Georgia forced a turnover for a chance to tie or take the lead, but a big defensive board by senior Ernest Aflakpui put the ball back in the Owls' hands, and Alston sank two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to seal the win.
The Owls overcame 51 percent shooting by Georgia thanks to forcing 20 turnovers on the Bulldogs and finishing with a 22-8 lead in points off turnovers.
Temple was solid at the line for the third time in as many games this season, making 15-of-18 free throws.
Alston had nine points at the break before exploding for 16 in the second half. He also dished a game-high six assists and tallied three steals.
Rose's 25 points came on 11-of-24 shooting. He was the most recent Owl to make 10 field goals in a game, doing so nearly a year ago on Nov. 30, 2017 in a win over South Carolina.
Memphis 76, No. 22 LSU 85
Memphis freshman guard Tyler Harris scored a game-high 20 points and senior guard Jeremiah Martin added 15, but the UofM fell to No. 22 ranked LSU 85-76 Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Memphis, playing its first game on the road, was undone by poor shooting (36.1 percent) and by being out-rebounded (37-32). Memphis allowed 13 offensive rebounds.
UofM coach Penny Hardaway said was "proud of my guys" for their effort and said he hopes they are able to learn from playing against a team that displayed relentless effort.
Memphis overcame a nine-point halftime deficit by coming out and attacking the boards and knocking down several 3-pointers. The UofM and LSU played evenly in the second half, each team scoring 37.
LSU shot 54 percent for the game, including 50 percent in the second half. But it was their rebounding that played a key role.
LSU was led by Skylar Mays, who scored 19 points. Emmitt Williams finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
For the UofM, Harris rebounded from a scoreless output in the season-opening win against Tennessee Tech by going 7-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Cincinnati 73, North Carolina Central 51
Sophomore guard Keith Williams scored a career-high 15 points in his first career start Tuesday night to lead the Cincinnati Bearcats to their first victory in newly refurbished Fifth Third Arena, a 73-51 decision over North Carolina Central before 10,037 fans.
UC coach Mick Cronin changed his lineup from the opener, starting Williams in place of Cane Broome. Williams responded in a big way after he took the floor for the opening tip along with Jarron Cumberland, Trevon Scott, Nysier Brooks and Justin Jenifer.
The Bearcats (1-1) placed three other players in double figures. Scott scored 12 on six-of-six shooting; Jarron Cumberland, who scored 22 in the Bearcats' season opener, added 10; and Jenifer also scored 10 with six assists and no turnovers in 23 minutes. The Bearcats shot 58.5 percent from the field and made five of 14 from three-point range.
Randy Miller Jr. led NC Central (0-2) with 21 points. The Eagles shot 35.2 percent and made eight of 17 from long range.
After closing the first half with an offensive outburst to take a 34-19 halftime lead, the Bearcats continued at the start of the second, outscoring the Eagles, 13-2 in the first four minutes to take a 47-21 lead behind six points from Cumberland.
UC continued the onslaught with Williams leading the way and took a 57-28 lead with 11:41 to go. By then, the Bearcats were scoring in transition and connecting from the perimeter.
The Bearcats got off to a fast start offensively, making five of their first six shots, a stark change from their season-opening loss to Ohio State when they struggled to score.
After their fast start, they missed eight of their next nine shots and led by only four with 7:47 to play in the half. But a 16-2 run gave them a 34-16 lead before NC Central made a 3-pointer just before intermission. UC led, 34-19 at halftime.
The Bearcats shot 51.6 percent in the first half while holding NC Central to 26.9 percent.
Tulane 81, Coastal Carolina 76
Tulane (1-1) withstood a furious second-half rally by Coastal Carolina (2-1) to pick up its first win of the 2018-19 season, defeating the Chanticleers, 81-76, Tuesday night at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
Tulane held an eight-point lead with just under four minutes to go and appeared to be headed toward its first victory, but Coastal Carolina went on an 11-5 run to trim the Green Wave's lead to two points with 30 seconds remaining.
The Green Wave hung tough however and was able to hold off the Chanticleers thanks to some clutch free throw shooting to secure the win.
Sophomore guard Caleb Daniels led the way for Tulane down the stretch, as he scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the final 20 minutes. Daniels' 22 points also were a career-high. Nine of his 22 came from the free throw line.
Cornish and redshirt junior Samir Sehic joined Daniels in double-figures as they finished with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Cornish connected on a career-high six 3-pointers.
Sehic also played a major role in helping the Green Wave hold a 40-38 rebounding advantage, as he pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. His 13 boards fell just one shy of his career high.
Redshirt freshman guard Shakwon Barrett helped the Green Wave hold an 18-12 assist advantage, as he dished out a career-high 10 assists with just two turnovers. Barrett is the first Tulane player with 10-plus assists since Malik Morgan accomplished the feat at ECU on Feb. 4, 2017.
USF 74, Austin Peay 70 (OT)
Laquincy Rideau scored 17 points and hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds to lead USF to a 74-70 overtime victory over Austin Peay on Monday in the opening round of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic at the Yuengling Center.
USF (2-0) took a 72-67 lead with under a minute left in overtime on a free throw from Rideau, but Zach Glotta was fouled on a three-point attempt on the ensuing possession and hit all three shots to cut the lead to two. After two missed free throws by the Bulls and turnovers by both teams, Rideau stepped to the line and made the final two from the charity stripe to extend the lead to four and clinch the victory for USF.
USF built a 49-40 lead midway through the second half following a three-pointer by T.J. Lang, Austin Peay, however, answered with an 18-6 run over the next five minutes to take a 58-55 edge on a three-pointer from Glotta.
Rideau regained the lead for the Bulls when his layup with 30 seconds left gave USF a 61-60 edge, but Jarrett Givens connected from beyond the arc on the other end to put Austin Peay ahead 63-61. Justin Brown drew a foul on the final possession of regulation and hit both free throws with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to tie the game and force overtime.
Austin Peay took the lead first in overtime on a free throw from Givens, but David Collins hit a three-pointer on the next possession and USF never trailed thereafter.
Lang and Collins both finished with 15 points and Mayan Kiir added 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Terry Taylor paced Austin Peay with 21 points and 12 rebounds while Glotta chipped in with 15 points and hit a pair of three-pointers.
UPCOMING GAMES
| WEDNESDAY 11.14.18 |
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Rice |
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Houston |
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8 p.m. |
Houston, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN3 |
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Western Carolina |
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SMU |
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8 p.m. |
Dallas, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN3 |
| THURSDAY 11.15.18 |
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Cal State Fullerton |
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UCF |
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1:30 p.m. |
Conway, S.C. |
Live Video TV:ESPN3 |
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Davidson |
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Wichita State |
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7 p.m. |
Charleston, S.C. |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN3 |
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Syracuse |
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UConn |
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7 p.m. |
New York, N.Y. |
Live Video TV:ESPN2 |
| FRIDAY 11.16.18 |
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Cal Baptist |
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Tulsa |
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1 p.m. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
Live Stats Live Video |
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Ohio |
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USF |
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4:30 p.m. |
Montego Bay, Jamaica |
TV:CBS Sports Network |
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Loyola (Md.) |
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Temple |
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7 p.m. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Live Stats Live Video |
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Milwaukee |
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Cincinnati |
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7 p.m. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Live Stats Live Video TV:FS Ohilo/ESPN3 |
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ECU |
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Georgia Tech |
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7:30 p.m. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
Live Video TV:ACC Network Extra/ESPN3 |
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Iowa/Oregon |
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UConn |
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TBD |
New York, N.Y. |
TV:ESPN2/ESPNU |
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Saint Joseph's/Wake Forest |
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UCF |
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TBD |
Conway, S.C. |
TV:ESPN2/ESPNU |
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Appalachian State/Purdue |
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Wichita State |
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TBD |
Charleston, S.C. |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPNU |
| SATURDAY 11.17.18 |
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Lipscomb |
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SMU |
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7 p.m. |
Dallas, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN3 |
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Yale |
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Memphis |
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8 p.m. |
Memphis, Tenn. |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN3 |
| SUNDAY 11.18.18 |
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Georgetown |
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USF |
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Noon |
Montego Bay, Jamaica |
TV:CBS Sports Network |
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TBD |
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UCF |
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TBD |
Conway, S.C. |
TV:ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN3 |
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TBD |
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Wichita State |
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TBD |
Charleston, S.C. |
Live Stats Live Video TV:ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN3 |