FORT WORTH, Texas — No. 3 Memphis advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship with a 70-62 victory over sixth-seeded UCF Friday night, March 12 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
With the win, the Tigers will face No. 2 seed Houston on Saturday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT in a rematch of a thrilling contest on March 7, the final day of the regular season. That contest was won by Houston, 67-64, on a half-court buzzer beater.
Memphis led 49-43 before Darius Perry hit three 3-point field goals and gave UCF its first lead of the game at 52-51. After the teams exchanged layups, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to take the lead for good.
D.J. Jeffries had a game-high 17 points of 7-of-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Lester Quinones had 15 rebounds, while DeAndre Williams added 16 points.
Darius Perry led UCF with 15 points, while Isaiah Adams added 13.
Memphis opened the game on a 13-2 run over the first 5:18, highlighted by 3-pointers from D.J. Jeffries and Boogie Ellis, but the Knights closed the half on an 18-7 run to cut the lead to 32-28.
All of the latest information regarding the tournament can be found on Championship Central at
TheAmerican.org/mbb.
Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
March 11-14, 2021
Dickies Arena
Fort Worth, Texas
First Round – Thursday, March 11
Game 1 – No. 8 USF 73, No. 9 Temple 71
Game 2 - No. 10 Tulane 77, No. 7 Tulsa 70
Game 3 - No. 6 UCF 72, No. 11 ECU 62
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 12
Game 4 – No. 1 Wichita State 68, No. 8 USF 67
Game 5 – No. 5 Cincinnati 74, No. 4 SMU 71
Game 6 – No. 2 Houston 77, No. 10 Tulane 52
Game 7 – No. 3 Memphis 70, No. 6 UCF 62
Semifinals – Saturday, March 13
Game 8 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Wichita State - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 9 – No. 3 Memphis vs. No. 2 Houston - 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Championship Final – Sunday, March 14
Game 10 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 - 3:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. CT - ESPN