5 things we learned in Memphis’ blowout
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Memphis couldn’t get back to FedexForum soon enough after losing two of its first three games in South Dakota last week.
Eager and angry about their showing at the Crossover Classic, where it lost games to Western Kentucky and VCU, the Tigers needed to extricate the lingering sour taste from their mouths. While things didn’t get off to the best start – Lester Quinones air-balled a 3-point attempt and Arkansas State responded with a fast-break layup through a wideopen lane – Memphis answered with a pair of alley-oop dunks by Moussa Cisse that got the announced crowd of 2,829 on its feet and propelled the Tigers (2-2) to a 83-54 win.
Landers Nolley II led all scorers with 23 points. Marquis Eaton and Markise Davis put up 13 points apiece for the Red Wolves (0-3).
As Memphis gets set to host Central Arkansas (0-0) at 7 p.m. Friday, coach Penny Hardaway said he was pleased with his team’s energy and how it shared the ball (a season-high 21 assists). He added he wants to see improvement in a couple of areas against the Bears.
“Less middle drives,” he said. “You can’t give up middle drives. And we have to rebound better. I’m challenging D.J. Jeffries, Landers Nolley, Lance Thomas and Moussa (Cisse) to all get 40 rebounds as a group. I feel like if we can that from them on a nightly basis, then we’d be great.”
Here are five things we learned from the Tigers’ home opener.
New-look starting lineup
Out of the gate, coach Penny Hardaway made good on his promise that changes were imminent.
After starting the same lineup in all three games last week, he shook things up against the Red Wolves. Damion Baugh started in place of the struggling Alex Lomax. Second-leading scorer Boogie Ellis replaced the team’s leading scorer, Nolley, who came off the bench due to disciplinary reasons, Hardaway said.
“Landers is going to get back into the starting lineup, it was just some disciplinary things that we did with him,” Hardaway said. “And with Damion going in for A-LO, Damion was playing better than A-LO.”
Substitution pattern
Something else Hardaway emphasized this week was a renewed commitment to defense and an increased level of toughness.
Both were evident early against Arkansas State. In the first half, Memphis forced 11 turnovers, blocked six shots and came away with five steals.
In ratcheting up the defensive intensity, there were some residual effects. Most notably, the Tigers committed 15 personal fouls in the first half. Six players had two, and three of those six (Ellis, Nolley and Cisse) played fewer than 10 minutes.
Speaking of substituting, Hardaway spent the first half rotating players at a breakneck pace. Of the 11 players who saw time before the break, seven of them went in and out at least three times. Baugh spent the longest single stretch on the floor of any Tiger in the first half at 7 minutes, 52 seconds.
Baugh banged up
Baugh, the sophomore guard, averaged six points and 4.7 rebounds in 21 minutes per game last week.
Coupled with Lomax’s struggles at point guard, that was enough for Hardaway to make the switch despite Baugh playing at less than 100%.
During a pregame radio interview Wednesday, Hardaway said Baugh is injured.
“Damion actually has a back injury that he’s playing through,” Hardaway said.
Baugh contributed six points, four rebounds and three steals.
Cisse, Quinones step up
Cisse, the Tigers’ five-star freshman center, was a sore spot for Memphis in its two losses. Quinones, too.
They scored 21 and 18 points, respectively, in the first three games of the season, while they had 15 and nine rebounds, respectively, last week.
Each Tiger rebounded with his first double-double of the season. Cisse had 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two blocks and a steal. Quinones dropped 15 points and hauled in 10 boards while also collecting six assists.
Long-range issues again
The Tigers came into the game shooting 37.3% from beyond the 3-point line, good enough for 58th in the nation. But, against VCU most recently, they shot 6of-23 from deep.
The change of scenery did not help. Inside the friendly (albeit, cavernous) confines of Fedexforum, Memphis was 6-for-26 Wednesday. The Tigers, now at 32.9% this season, slipped to 121st among all Division I teams.
“We had great looks at the basket,” Hardaway said. “I don’t think there was one 3-pointer contested. We do a lot of shooting. When you’re getting open looks, you’ve just got to make the shots. (If ) we make half of those, we win by 50 points.”
Jeffries and Ellis combined to go 0for-6 from 3-point range. Jeffries was 1for-7 in South Dakota, while Ellis was 9of-15.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.