Both UAB and Memphis moved to 2-0 in American Athletic Conference men's basketball league play on Sunday, January 7.
Temple 68, Wichita State 61 - Box Score
PHILADELPHIA (AP) William Settle had 17 points in Temple's 68-61 win against Wichita State on Sunday.
Settle had nine rebounds and six steals for the Owls (8-7, 1-1 American Athletic Conference). Hysier Miller added 17 points while shooting 6 for 13, including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc, and they also had five rebounds and eight assists. Jahlil White was 4 of 10 shooting (1 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 11 points.
The Shockers (8-7, 0-2) were led in scoring by Kenny Pohto, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals.
UAB 75, South Florida 71 - Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points in UAB's 75-71 victory against South Florida on Sunday night.
Lendeborg added 15 rebounds for the Blazers (10-5, 2-0 American Athletic Conference). Alejandro scored 17 points while going 5 of 12 from the floor, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and 4 for 6 from the foul line. Efrem Johnson was 3-of-9 shooting, including 1 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 5 from the free-throw line to finish with 10 points. The Blazers picked up their sixth straight win.
Chris Youngblood finished with 17 points and two steals for the Bulls (8-5, 1-1). Selton Miguel added 17 points and three blocks for South Florida. In addition, Kobe Knox had 10 points. The loss ended a six-game winning streak for the Bulls.
East Carolina 62, Tulsa 57 - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) Brandon Johnson scored 17 points and sealed the victory with a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left as East Carolina defeated Tulsa 62-57 on Sunday.
Johnson added nine rebounds for the Pirates (8-7, 1-1 American Athletic Conference). Ezra Ausar scored 14 points while going 3 of 8 and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line, and added seven rebounds. RJ Felton was 5-of-15 shooting, including 1 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 3 from the foul line to finish with 14 points.
The Golden Hurricane (9-5, 0-2) were led in scoring by Cobe Williams, who finished with 18 points. PJ Haggerty added 16 points and five assists for Tulsa. Isaiah Barnes also had 12 points and two steals.
No. 15 Memphis 62, SMU 59 - Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Jahvon Quinerly saved No. 15 Memphis from a loss for the second straight game
And from about the same spot.
Quinerly connected on a 3-pointer with three seconds left to complete a comeback for the Tigers as they defeated SMU 62-59 on Sunday.
Quinerly hit the winning basket in the closing seconds earlier this week at Tulsa. His 3-pointer with four seconds remaining resulted in a 78-75 victory. In Sunday's last-second heroics, Quinerly dribbled in front of Mustang guard Chuck Harris, stepped back on the left wing and dropped in the go-ahead basket to break a 58-58 tie.
Quinerly was actually the second option on the play drawn up by the Memphis coaching staff.
“I was surprised they didn't deny me the ball,” Quinerly said when asked about the comparison to the Tulsa shot, adding: “It just happened. It just happened in the flow.”
For SMU, it was a heart-breaking end to a game where it dominated the Tigers in the first half, and didn't give up the lead until about eight minutes were left. Mustang coach Rob Lanier acknowledged that Quinerly's game-winner was “a tough shot.”
“We needed to play well to beat them,” Lanier said. “We had a chance, and we didn't play our best.”
David Jones led the Tigers with 17 points, Quinerly had 11 and Jaykwon Walton added 10 as Memphis (13-2, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) won its eighth straight.
Tyreek Smith led SMU (10-5, 1-1) with 12 points and seven rebounds as the Mustangs saw their four-game winning streak end.
Memphis got off to a poor start, but they used a 17-5 run opening the second half to pull even. The Tigers eventually built a six-point lead.
Tied with two minutes remaining, both teams had blocks down the stretch, including Jayden Hardaway of Memphis blocking Smith at the rim leading to a jump ball with 12 seconds remaining. Memphis held the possession arrow, setting the stage for Quinerly's basket after a timeout.
In the first half, SMU's defense forced the Tigers into turnovers and while the Mustangs weren’t putting up a lot of points, they outrebounded Memphis 25-9.
Hardaway and the Memphis players know they have escaped some close situations.
“We've got a whole bunch of talented guys, but we wait to do the dirty work until we're down," Jayhlon Young said.
While Memphis worries about getting off to better starts and avoiding flat play, Lanier said the Mustangs' performance against a nationally ranked team provides him optimism.
“To be in that position on such a good team bodes well,” Lanier said.