Memphis wins, gets payback against Tulane
Tyler Harris has been known to give Memphis basketball fans something to rally behind. He did it again on Wednesday.
Harris' fourth 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead by eight with 4:29 to play against Tulane, prompting chants of "Let's go Tigers!" from fans inside Fedexforum.
When Jalen Duren's off-hand layup with 3:51 to play made it a 10-point lead, the Memphis faithful seemed to finally relax.
And celebrate, as the Tigers got the payback they were looking for in an 80-69 victory over the Green Wave, avenging a 1-point loss in New Orleans on Dec. 29.
In that game, Memphis' two leading scorers, Duren and Deandre Williams, sat out due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, and the Green Wave's Jalen Cook scored 25 points.
On Wednesday, Duren and Williams each logged double-doubles and Memphis held Cook (the AAC'S second-leading scorer) to just 11 points.
The victory was the fourth in a row for Memphis (13-8, 7-4 AAC) and sets up a showdown at sixth-ranked Houston on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC). The Cougars (20-3, 9-1), despite losing to SMU on Wednesday, remain atop the AAC standings.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday's game:
More Tyler Harris please
The senior guard, who has reestablished himself as a fan favorite with one big-time performance after another, was conspicuous by his absence during much of the first half.
Harris played just four minutes and was held to zero points. With starting point guard Alex Lomax fouling out in the second half, Harris played more than 15 minutes and made them count.
Harris, who has the fifth-most 3pointers in program history, finished with four en route to 14 points. He also had two assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Dual double-doubles
Duren, Memphis' 6-foot-11 freshmen center, now leads the team with four double-doubles. Wednesday's game was his second straight, as he scored 15 and had 12 rebounds — six offensive and six defensive.
Williams' double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) was his second of the season and first since he had 16 and 10 against Virginia Tech on Nov. 24.
Big-picture
Memphis moved into sole possession of third place in the league standings, behind only Houston and SMU
(17-5, 8-2).
After Saturday's game at Houston, the Tigers will travel to Cincinnati on Feb. 15 before making the trip to Dallas to face the Mustangs on Feb. 20.
Owning the boards
Led by Duren and Williams, the Tigers dominated Tulane on the glass.
Memphis finished with 49 rebounds, itsit has had in a game this season. The Tigers had 53 in a home win over East Carolina last week.
The Tigers also kept the Green Wave off the boards for much of the game. Tulane managed just 26 rebounds. The only time Memphis has limited a team to fewer rebounds came on Dec. 29 at Tulane, when the Green Wave had 20.
The Tigers' plus-23 rebounding margin Wednesday is its largest of the season, better than the previous high of plus-20 (at Tulane).
Quinones the Consistent
Lester Quinones contributed 11 points, marking the junior guard's third straight game in double figures.
Quinones, who hit three 3-pointers against Tulane, has reached doubledigits in scoring in six of his last nine games.
He also had three assists Wednesday.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.