Thomas breaks out, leads Tigers to win at UCF
ORLANDO, Fla. — Often disjointed and never in the running to win any beauty contests, the Memphis Tigers steadied their ship Wednesday.
The Tigers were desperate for a win after back-to-back losses and a stretch that included four in their last six games. Riding the unlikely hot shooting of freshman guard Boogie Ellis and sophomore forward Lance Thomas, Memphis sank UCF 59-57 at Addition Financial Arena.
Ellis, back in the starting lineup after a four-game absence, ran the point for the majority of the night and gave the Tigers another double-digit scoring output. Thomas scored a career-high 20 points, besting his previous top mark of 11 points. Perhaps no buckets were bigger, though, than two of his four 3pointers that came in the waning minutes and prevented the surging Knights from pulling off the upset. Thomas came into the game with just one 3pointer all season.
“He shoots it like that all the time in practice,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. “It's just, he lost confidence when he got to the games. His first shot was an airball over the backboard. But we kept him out there. He got a rhythm and once he got the rhythm, we knew he was on.
“Tonight was his breakout game. He's the type of guy that plays off confidence.”
Thomas didn't blink when asked afterward what felt best.
“The win, for sure,” he said.
And, second-best?
“Obviously, you know, my shooting,” said Thomas. “I knew eventually it was going to happen. You guys probably didn't. My teammates knew. I knew eventually it was going to happen. But it felt really good.”
Precious Achiuwa put up 18 points and 13 rebounds, snapping a string of two games without a double-double. It is the freshman's 11th double-double of the season.
The Tigers (15-5, 4-3 AAC) will shoot for back-to-back wins at noon Saturday,
when they host Uconn on CBS. The Knights fall to 11-9 and 2-6.
Here are three key observations from Wednesday's game.
Boogie Ellis comes up clutch
While Ellis gave Memphis an early spark, scoring 10 of his points in the first half, it was a play he made on defense that might have been the turning point.
With 5:12 left, UCF'S Collin Smith cut the Tigers' lead to 49-47 on a layup under the basket. A frenzied possession ensued for the Memphis offense, one that included misses by Damion Baugh and Ellis, whose miss was corralled by the Knights' Brandon Mahan.
But, reminiscent of a big play Baugh made late in a win over Tennessee in December, Ellis (who finished with 13 points) snatched the ball away from the unsuspecting Mahan and made an easy bucket. It was his only field goal of the second half.
“I thought about (Baugh's play against the Vols) when that happened. Yeah, that was huge because I felt like he took a difficult shot, (which) young guys do,” Hardaway said. “And he went and got his own rebound and put it back. That was an even tougher shot because it was contested. He's showing he's not scared of the moment or afraid of the moment. That's all you want. Those guys (freshmen) are going to make mistakes.
“But just don't be afraid of the moment. I want those guys to feel free.”
Another shakeup
The revolving door at point guard continued to spin when Memphis penciled Ellis into the starting lineup for the first time in four games. But he wasn't the only new face trotted out at tip-off.
Thomas made his third start of the season — and first since Nov. 20 — replacing Malcolm Dandridge at center. The rest of the starting lineup stayed intact, as Achiuwa, Lester Quinones and D.J. Jeffries were back in their customary positions.
Quiet nights
Thomas, Ellis and Achiuwa combined for 51 points — or 81.3 percent of the Tigers' offensive production.
And Memphis needed every bit of it because the typically reliable Jeffries and Quinones were held to two total points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field, including an 0-for-3 showing from beyond the arc. The freshmen combined for 10 rebounds and four assists.
The Knights also quieted the sophomore duo of Alex Lomax and Tyler Harris, both of whom were held scoreless on a combined 0-for-4 showing from the field. Neither Lomax nor Harris notched any rebounds or assists.
“It's OK to have zeroes in that category, but the other areas need to be filled up,” Hardaway said.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.