Charleston beats Memphis to end disappointing Orlando trip
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Memphis coach Penny Hardaway balled up his fist in frustration as the student manager handed him the whiteboard with 3:49 remaining in the Tigers' 78-75 loss to Charleston Sunday at the AdvoCare Invitational lineup in Orlando.
As the Tigers huddled around him during the timeout, the coach placed both hands on the whiteboard and shook his head.
It was a trip that included disappointment, embarrassment, and plenty of adjustments. To an extent, the coach expected from his young team to look like a work in progress, but not leave with a 1-2 record and a loss to Charleston on the consolation side of the bracket.
Cougars forward Jarrell Brantley knocked down the go-ahead free throws with just over 30 seconds remaining to give Charleston a one-point lead.
On the Tigers' next offensive possession, point guard Alex Lomax was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen. The Tigers were forced to foul, and freshman Tyler Harris missed the game-tying 3-point shot.
3-point shootout
After an ugly shooting start, both Memphis and Charleston heated up from deep in the first half, combining for 15 3-point makes in the first 20 minutes.
The Tigers converted on six of 12 attempts, and Charleston finished 9for-14. At halftime, over 50 percent of the scoring in the game came from beyond the arc.
Nobody made more than Harris, who finished with 25 points on 7 of 11 3-point shooting. Most of the freshman's shots were by design, too.
Charleston played a 2-3 zone for most of the first half, which opened opportunities for the Tigers to pass over top of the zone to Harris for open 3point shots. During stoppages, the first-year coach reminded his team that the Cougars were in zone, and Harris would be open.
As Harris splashed in his fifth 3point shot of the game with a defender in his face, Hardaway turned around to assistant coach Sam Mitchell and smiled.
“He had (Alex Lomax) wide open,” Hardaway said to Mitchell.
There were several similar moments hidden in Memphis’ loss Sunday. While the talent flashed, there were opportunities for more.
Defense a work in progress
The Tigers surrendered 78 points on 42 percent shooting Sunday, but Memphis’ defense is still a work in progress.
Hardaway was frustrated with the number of times his defense gambled in its first two games of the AdvoCare Invitational.
The coach voiced his frustration on defense a few times against the Cougars, asking his players go through screens and take away layups.
Charleston guard Grant Riller gashed the Tigers for 32 points, nine assists and five rebounds on his way to being named to the all-tournament team.
Rebounding improvement
The Tigers saw improvement on the boards in Orlando after Hardaway moved seniors Raynere Thornton and Mike Parks Jr. into the starting lineup for Isaiah Maurice and Kyvon Davenport.
Memphis was outrebounded 40-30 by Oklahoma State in the first game, a contest where Parks played just four minutes.
The Tigers bounced back one day later by outrebounding Canisius 51-28 – their most dominant performance on the glass this season.
Against Charleston, Memphis won the battle on the boards as well, 38-31.