PROVIDENCE, R.I – The American Athletic Conference closed out 2018 with four more nonconference victories. ECU put up a 20-point victory on Friday before USF became the sixth American school this season to reach double-digit wins on Saturday. Memphis also put up a big victory, going over 90 points for the fifth-straight game. Finally, No. 22/19 Houston went a perfect 13-0 in nonconference play, matching the mark of its 1967-68 Final Four team. The Cougars are one of just four unbeaten teams left in the country (No. 2 Michigan, No. 4 Virginia, No. 6 Nevada) and are tied for the most victories in the nation.
Friday, December 28
ECU 77, North Carolina A&T 57
Jayden Gardner scored 27 points to go along with 13 rebounds and four assists to lead ECU to a 77-57 win over visiting North Carolina A&T inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Friday night.
Gardner, who scored 18 second half points, finished 9-of-14 from the field and 9-of-12 at the free throw line to record his fifth double-double of the season. Shawn Williams drained 6-of-11 from deep on his way to 18 points with a pair of blocks for ECU (7-5). Seth LeDay and Isaac Fleming added 13 points each, while Fleming also handed out a season-high seven assists.
After yielding the opening field goal, ECU scored 12 unanswered points in a span of 2:12 to dart out to a double digit lead with Fleming scoring the first seven points of the spurt. The Pirates maintained an eight-point the remainder of the half and settled for an 11-point cushion at intermission, 38-27.
The first basket of the second half belonged to the Aggies as well, but that was the final time ECU held less than a 10-point lead the remainder of the game. Williams' sixth 3-pointer of the night put the Pirates up by 18 with 10:21 to play before consecutive made free throws by Gardner gave his team a 21-point lead, 69-48, with 6:18 to play.
Milik Ganz had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting for N.C. A&T (4-9). The rest of the Aggies made just 14 of 44 from the field.
N.C. A&T entered the game shooting 47.1 percent from the field, but the Pirates held it to just 38.2 percent overall and 22.7 percent from outside the arc. The Aggies ranked 30th in NCAA Division I with a 34.4 percent 3-point shooting percentage entering the game.
The Pirates forced 14 turnovers, but it was on the glass where they seized control of the game, out-rebounding the Aggies by 16, 43-27, and scoring 20 second chance points.
USF 60, Fairleigh Dickinson 54
USF withstood a furious Fairleigh Dickinson second-half rally and extended its win streak to six with a 60-54 victory at the Yuengling Center on Saturday.
USF (10-2) heads into conference play with six-straight wins for the first time since early in the 2007-08 season and has equaled its entire 2017-18 season wins total. The Bulls are now just the sixth squad in school history to reach 10 wins in its first 12 games.
USF closed the game on a 6-0 run, all on free throws, and got defensive stops on the final three full possessions by Fairleigh Dickinson (5-7).
Sophomore Justin Brown provided the go-ahead free throw with 36 seconds left, finishing with 12 points and grabbing half of his six total rebounds in the final two minutes.
Redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna registered his American Athletic Conference-leading sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 16 points and game-high 16 rebounds - seven on the offensive end. Yetna's final layup marked USF's last field goal of the game with 6:57 remaining.
Sophomore David Collins returned to double figures with 10 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in addition to his team-leading two steals. Collins gave the Bulls a two-point lead with 24 seconds remaining and helped secure the win with two more free throws 20 seconds later.
Eight days in between action didn't prevent USF from jumping out to a fast start as Brown scored five points during a game-opening 11-0 run. Four straight points from Antun Maricevic during another 7-0 run extended the advantage to 18-3 before USF headed into halftime with a 33-23 lead.
USF led by as many as 17 points before the break but found itself trailing more than midway through the second half after a 15-0 Fairleigh Dickinson run. Brown's three-pointer forced the first of five more ties prior to the Bulls reaching 10 wins with six important free throws in the final minute.
Memphis 96, Florida A&M 65
Jeremiah Martin matched his season-high with 22 points and Tyler Harris added 16 to lead Memphis to its third-straight win and fifth in six games in a 96-65 decision Saturday over Florida A&M at FedExForum.
Martin, a senior guard and preseason American Athletic Conference first-team pick, also contributed eight assists and six steals -- both team highs -- in the UofM's final non-league game.
In the win over the Rattlers (3-12), the Tigers also continued a recent torrid shooting streak. Memphis shot 58.9 percent a week after shooting 60 percent in a blowout of Tennessee State. The UofM also matched a season-high of 57 points in a half, scoring those in the second half and making 9-of-13 from beyond the arc.
In addition to Martin and Harris, three other Tigers finished in double figures. Raynere Thornton and Isaiah Maurice had 12 points apiece and Antwann Jones scored 11. Thornton and Maurice tied for the team lead with seven rebounds each.
In the second half, the Tigers pulled away to start the period behind a 13-3 run. Martin had a three-point play during the run and Thornton added seven of his points, including a 3-pointer and a dunk.
Martin then single-handedly helped push the UofM lead to 30-plus points. During a 22-4 run midway through the half, Martin had 11 points and two assists. He also had three of his four 3-pointers during the stretch, the last of which gave the Tigers a 76-44 advantage. Memphis eventually extended its lead to 38 points in the closing minutes.
After halftime, the Tigers out-rebounded the Rattlers, 20-9, and didn't allow FAMU to grab an offensive board.
In the first half, the Tigers shot 59.1 percent, but couldn't pull away from the Rattlers. Memphis was slowed by eight first-half turnovers and by being outrebounded, 3-9. FAMU also stayed close by shooting 48 percent in the half.
After falling behind 6-2 in the opening minutes, the Tigers slowly regained the lead. When Jones nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner with 13:21 to go, it gave the UofM a 13-10 advantage. Memphis never trailed again, although FAMU tied the game at 26-all following back-to-back 3-pointers from Kamron Reaves.
The Tigers closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 39-30 lead into the half. Harris had 11 points at the half to lead the UofM.
Kareem Brewton made his first start of the season and Brewton finished with five steals, to tie a career high.
Tyler Harris was 4-for-4 from the free throw line to continue a streak. He has made 21 straight free throws, dating to the second half of the UAB game.
The Tigers forced the Rattlers into 23 turnovers, three shy of the season high the team forced against Tennessee Tech in the season-opening game. Memphis also made a season-best 13 3-pointers.
Memphis scored 90 or more points for the fifth-straight game, a first for the program since the 1975-76 season.
No. 21/20 Houston 80, NJIT 59
Corey Davis Jr. scored 19 points, DeJon Jarreau had 13 and No. 22 Houston beat NJIT 80-59 on Saturday to remain undefeated.
Houston finishes 13-0 in nonconference play for the first time in school history (in seasons in which Houston competed as a conference member).
The 2018-19 team joins its 1967-68 NCAA Final Four squad as the only squads in school history to begin 13-0.
Brison Gresham had 11 points and seven rebounds and Armoni Brooks had 10 points for Houston (13-0), which shot 50 percent overall and 63 percent in the second half. Houston has won 26 straight home games and set a school record for best nonconference record.
Zach Cooks scored 20 points and Shyquan Gibbs and Diandre Wilson each added 10 for the Highlanders (11-3), who shot 33 percent from the field, including 9 of 30 on 3-pointers.
The Cougars opened the second half with a 24-6 run to lead 51-29. That included five straight points by Davis, capped by a fast-break layup with 11:14 remaining.
Houston started slowly, falling behind 18-8 on a Cooks' 3-pointer with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Cougars finished the half outscoring NJIT 19-5 capped by a monstrous dunk from Jarreau with a minute left in the half. Jarreau had six points to lead the run.
Houston outrebounded NJIT 48-33.
UPCOMING GAMES
| WEDNESDAY 1.2.19 |
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Tulane |
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Cincinnati |
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6:30 p.m. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
TV:CBSSN |
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Temple |
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UCF |
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7 p.m. |
Orlando, Fla. |
TV:ESPNEWS |
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Tulsa |
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Houston |
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8 p.m. |
Houston, Texas |
TV:ESPN3 |
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ECU |
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SMU |
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8 p.m. |
Dallas, Texas |
TV:ESPN3 |
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UConn |
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USF |
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8:30 p.m. |
Tampa, Fla. |
TV:CBSSN |