Charlotte, East Carolina and Memphis all picked up wins in American Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, January 10.
Charlotte 84, Tulsa 76 - Box Score
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Nik Graves scored 20 points as Charlotte beat Tulsa 84-76 on Wednesday night.
Graves was 4 of 6 shooting and 12 of 13 from the free throw line for the 49ers (8-7, 2-1 American Athletic Conference). Robert Braswell was 6 of 10 shooting, including 4 for 7 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 4 from the line to add 19 points. Igor Milicic Jr. was 7 of 11 shooting (3 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 17 points, while adding 10 rebounds.
The Golden Hurricane (9-6, 0-3) were led by PJ Haggerty, who recorded 28 points. Cobe Williams added 18 points and five assists for Tulsa. Matt Reed also had 10 points.
Charlotte took the lead with 15:28 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Braswell led his team in scoring with 14 points in the first half to help put them ahead 42-25 at the break. Graves scored a team-high 12 points after intermission.
East Carolina 73, Temple 62 - Box Score
PHILADELPHIA (AP) RJ Felton had 20 points in East Carolina's 73-62 win over Temple on Wednesday night.
Felton also had five rebounds for the Pirates (9-7, 2-1 American Athletic Conference). Ezra Ausar added 18 points while going 6 of 8 and 6 of 6 from the free throw line, and he also had six rebounds. Brandon Johnson was 6 of 12 shooting (3 for 7 from 3-point range) to finish with 15 points, while adding nine rebounds.
Joran Riley led the way for the Owls (8-8, 1-2) with 15 points. Jahlil White added 13 points and seven rebounds for Temple. Shane Dezonie also had 11 points.
East Carolina took the lead with 1:07 to go in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 33-31 at halftime, with Ausar racking up 10 points. East Carolina turned a three-point second-half lead into a 12-point advantage with a 9-0 run to make it a 47-35 lead with 15:22 left in the half. Johnson scored 13 second-half points.
No. 13 Memphis 107, UTSA 101 (OT) - Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Jahvon Quinerly scored 25 points, including nine in overtime, as No. 13 Memphis survived another close call defeating UTSA 107-101 on Wednesday night.
David Jones led the Tigers with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Nick Jourdain finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds as Memphis (14-2, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) won its ninth straight.
Jordan Ivy-Curry led UTSA (7-9, 1-2) with 28 points and nine rebounds. Christian Tucker added 14 points and seven assists while Chandler Cuthrell finished with 13 points.
The Tigers have struggled recently against teams - on paper - they should have dominated. Quinerly connected on last-second 3-pointers to give Memphis wins over Tulsa and SMU to secure their national ranking. Despite the winning streak and escaping with close wins in recent games, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway emphasized his team is still learning.
“This is only going to help pay dividends in the future,” Hardaway said. "I really feel that way. We're faltering in so many different areas, but we're making up for it and still winning the game.
“We should have lost this game the way (UTSA) shot the ball.”
The teams were tied at 94 at the end of regulation as the Tigers had to fight the entire game.
Quinerly opened the extra period with a four-point play, and UTSA came close, but never recovered from the deficit.
“A team that scores first in overtime usually has a pretty good advantage,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said when asked for the turning point. “They get a four-point lead, and it's kind of tough to overcome."
The Roadrunners 37-35 advantage at the half was fueled by 3-point shooting accuracy early. Ivy-Curry had a trio of 3-pointers and 11 points before the break. They would finish the game 17 of 45 from beyond the arc, making six more 3s than Memphis.
“It doesn't look like it, but we went into the game to take the 3-pointer away,” Hardaway said.
“They moved the ball and they made shots,” said Tiger guard Jaykwon Walton, who finished with 13 points on 5 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 4 outside the arc. “You make shots, and you're always going to have a chance.”
One factor that served UTSA well was a lack of turnovers. The Roadrunners committed only eight miscues in the game, a point of emphasis if they were going to stay with the Tigers.
“The biggest thing for us was taking care of the basketball,” Henson said. “To keep them out of transition. They're a good transition team.”