Memphis basketball's misery continues in loss at UAB. Here are 5 takeaways
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Not even a week off could cure the Memphis basketball team's ills.
The No. 22 Tigers (15-5, 4-3 AAC) lost their third game in a row, this time falling flat Sunday against UAB 97-88 at a near-capacity Bartow Arena full of more than 8,000 Blazers fans, many of them taunting Memphis for much of the second half. The setback is the latest in a string of them that has caused an eye-opening fall from grace.
Two weeks ago, Memphis was ranked 12th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and had victories over teams like Clemson, Virginia and Texas A&M. Some NCAA Tournament projections had the Tigers as high as a No. 3 seed.
A lot has changed since.
On Sunday, a nip-and-tuck first half became a borderline blowout midway through the second when the Blazers led by 14 points. UAB (13-7, 5-2) leaned on the inside-out combination of big man Yaxel Lendeborg and guard Eric Gaines, who combined for 43 points, to neutralize most anything the Tigers tried.
Memphis tried to claw back into the game late, trailing 90-83 with 1:17 remaining, but UAB held on.
Here are five observations from the game.
Turnovers and defense
Almost nothing coach Penny Hardaway drew up defensively worked.
The same issues that plagued the Tigers in losses to South Florida and Tulane were still present versus UAB. The Blazers shot better than 50% from the field and scored the second-most points Memphis has allowed all season (the most points it has given up in a regulation game).
Defense wasn't the only problem, though. Memphis committed 22 turnovers. Even though UAB totaled 21, the Blazers converted the Tigers' into 26 points. It's the most turnovers by Memphis in a game this season. Leading scorer David Jones committed nine, and had 24 points, eight rebounds and seven steals. Point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who had six turnovers last week against Tulane, had four against UAB.
The effort areas
Prior to Sunday, the Tigers had been out-rebounded just once in the previous seven games (versus SMU).
But the Blazers not only won the rebounding battle, they owned the boards, turning their 16 offensive rebounds (10 from Lendeborg) into 23 second-chance points — by far the most of any Memphis opponent this season.
The Tigers finished with just nine second-chance points.
Offense? No problem
Offense has not been an issue for Memphis this season, even during its three-game skid.
The Tigers got 24 points from Jones, a career-high 19 from Malcolm Dandridge and 12 apiece from Quinerly and Nae'Qwan Tomlin.
The team shot better than 45% from the 3-point line and was nearly 50% from the field.
The foul trouble shuffle
If the Tigers planned to shorten the rotation and settle into a rhythm early, their hopes were dashed in relatively short order.
Nicholas Jourdain picked up two fouls by the 15:50 mark in the first half, which landed him on the bench until halftime. It was the first of 21 substitutions Hardaway made in the first half.
With the Tigers down a member of the frontcourt for most of the first 20 minutes, Jordan Brown — who had left the team after the Dec. 2 loss at Ole Miss and missed the next 11 games — played five minutes in the first half.
Tomlin also found himself in foul trouble early, landing two in 10 minutes.
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Whistles turn into free throws
Memphis wasn't the only team picking up a lot of personal fouls. Four Blazers were hit with two apiece in the first half alone.
Because of the physical nature in the early going, the free-throw line had a prominent role. Both teams attempted 14 free throws in the first half, which lasted almost an hour.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball's misery continues in loss at UAB
