What we learned in Memphis basketball's overtime win vs. Dominican Republic select team
LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic — Carl Cherenfant took the feed from JJ Taylor in the corner.
In the blink of an eye — gone. One of three freshmen playing for Memphis this week during its preseason trip to the Dominican Republic, the burly wing squared his shoulders, put his head down, bolted for the basket and set the tone for the rest of Friday's exhibition game against a select team ("Trenes Del Este," which translates to "Eastern Trains" in English).
After an emphatic two-handed dunk, Cherenfant glanced toward one half of the open-air gym, Polideportivo Eleoncio Mercedes, and celebrated with a head tap.
Memphis, playing its second game in three days, needed that momentum and then some in a thrilling 105-98 overtime win. More than 700 vociferous fans turned out to watch the Tigers and the Trenes Del Este — not quite as skilled as the Dominican national team that won Wednesday, but no less competitive — set off an array of offensive fireworks.
Besides Cherenfant’s SC Top 10-worthy slam, Jeison Colome (a 26-year-old from La Romana currently playing professionally in Indonesia) caught fire early and put up 32 points. Jayden Hardaway scored eight of his 13 points (aided by a pair of 3s) in the first quarter. His younger brother, Ashton, matched him in the second with eight points (also a pair of 3s) and finished with 11.
And bucket-getter Jaykwon Walton — who spent last season at Wichita State, entered the transfer portal, committed to two schools before finally landing at Memphis last week — got plenty of buckets, finishing with 27 points and 14 rebounds, both team highs.
“I’m glad it was another tough game,” coach Penny Hardaway said. “Everybody played well. To me, we were getting smashed on the glass, and they were getting back in transition — easy buckets on us that first half. We adjusted, which lets me know this team could be really good.”
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s game.
Down to the wire — again
Trenes Del Este, treating the game like its own personal Game 7, mounted a ferocious, impassioned rally late in the fourth quarter, taking a 90-89 lead with 49 seconds left. Juan Pablo Montas, 39, scored eight second-half points and had one of the home team’s bigger buckets, a put-back dunk over Jahvon Quinerly that sent the crowd into a near frenzy.
But it was Memphis’ veterans who stepped up and staved off any would-be collapse. Jordan Brown, the Tigers' new 6-foot-11 center who had 14 points, got the scoring started in overtime with a layup. Quinerly put the Tigers up 98-94 with a couple of layups in quick succession.
With less than a minute left in overtime, Jonathan Pierre put the game away with a 3-pointer to make it a 103-98 game.
Improvement on the perimeter
Memphis’ first two baskets of the game came courtesy of the long ball.
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Jayden Hardaway got things started with a 3-pointer and Walton hit the next one. In less than three minutes, they accounted for one-third of what they made Wednesday.
The Tigers kept firing, too, going 12-for-29 from 3-point range.
Caleb Mills sits
Penny Hardaway didn’t tinker much with the starting lineup.
Walton, Quinerly, Brown and Nick Jourdain started in Wednesday’s loss to the Dominican national team in Santo Domingo, and Hardaway ran them back out to open Friday’s game.
The only difference was Jayden Hardaway started in place of Caleb Mills. The Florida State transfer led the Tigers with 18 points and eight rebounds Wednesday but did not play Friday.
“He’s injured,” Penny Hardaway said. “Little scrapes. Nothing serious. We just kind of held him out for precautionary reasons.”
Hardaway also said he’s not sure whether Mills will be available for Sunday’s game.
Backup point guard Jayhlon Young, who met up with the Tigers on their layover in Texas en route to the Dominican Republic, has sat out both games and is not expected to play Sunday.
Memphis is still waiting on St. John’s University transfer forward David Jones to be cleared to join the team. Jones, playing for his native country in Wednesday's game, scored 12 points against his future teammates.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: 3 takeaways from win vs. Dominican Republic select team
