No. 18 Houston wins AAC tourney 71-53 over Memphis
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Fabian White Jr. and No. 18 Houston were a lock for the NCAA Tournament long before they clinched an automatic berth.
Memphis didn't have to wait long to find out it was going to the school's first NCAA tourney since 2014, even after losing 71-53 to the Cougars in the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game Sunday.
It's the first NCAA appearance for the Tigers in Penny Hardaway's four seasons as coach.
''It's tough to be excited after a loss, especially a game we felt like we could have won,'' Hardaway said, calling the feeling bittersweet. ''I'm going to celebrate being in the NCAA Tournament. That was the ultimate goal.''
Memphis (21-10) was among the first teams revealed during the NCAA selection show, which began about a half-hour after AAC title game. It was so quick that the Tigers missed the live announcement after first going to the locker room before heading to a room upstairs set up to watch the show.
A day after being limited to less than three minutes in the semifinals because of back tightness, White scored 20 points. Fellow first-team All-AAC big man Josh Carlton had 18 for the Cougars (29-5).
Houston had a confetti-filled celebration on the court to mark the tournament title, then went and watched the selection show. After seeing their No. 5 seed in the South Region, matching up with UAB, the Cougars came back out to cut down the nets.
Memphis, which has won 12 of its last 14 games and beat Houston by double figures in both regular-season matchups, is the No. 9 seed in the West Region and will play Boise State.
''We had a pretty good run over the last couple of months,'' Hardaway said. ''That's over with. ... We're still alive.''
Taze Moore had 11 points and eight assists for Houston, while Jamal Shead scored 10 points. Kyler Edwards had eight points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
''Just really proud of our team, we've had a tough year in some ways,'' coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''To be able to win the regular season and then win the conference tournament, our kids said it in the locker room, they didn't want to leave any doubt they were the best team in the conference.''
Memphis center Jalen Duren, a 6-foot-11 freshman who was a first-team All-AAC pick, had 14 points and 10 rebounds. DeAndre Williams had 10 points.
Duren was limited to 17 minutes in the Tigers' semifinal game, when he got two early fouls, then missed 6 1/2 minutes in the second half after falling hard to the floor after blocking a shot.
The Tigers, after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, closed to 51-47 on Duren's emphatic two-handed dunk with 6:55 left. They never got closer.
Carlton had a three-point play on a slam dunk while being fouled after a nice pass from Moore. Shead then had a hustle play to force a turnover when Memphis had a breakaway chance, and White hit two free throws after a hard tumble when the upper half of his body ended up under the scoring table.
BIG PICTURE
Memphis: After missing the NCAA tourney last year, when they lost to Houston 76-74 in the AAC tournament semifinals, the Tigers went on to win the NIT championship. ... Memphis has won at least 20 games in all four seasons under Hardaway, who played in NCAA Tournaments in 1992 and 1993 in his only seasons playing for the Tigers before an NBA career than ended in 2008. ... The Tigers' only other loss the past 14 games was to 23-win SMU, which they beat in the AAC Tournament semifinals.
Houston: The Cougars already have one more win than last season, when they won their first AAC tournament championship and then went to their first NCAA Final Four since 1984.
FLAGRANT APOLOGY
Memphis guard Alex Lomax was called for a flagrant foul after hard contact sent Shead sprawling to the floor with 2:10 left when he was driving toward the basket after a steal by Edwards. Shead jumped up and held up his hand to let his teammates know he was OK, and to ease tensions. Carlton and other teammates hugged Shead as they fired up their fans behind the bench. After referees reviewed the play, Lomax hugged Shead and went to the sideline to shake the hand of Sampson.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Â | Jalen Duren vs. Fabian White Jr. (Tigers gains possession) | Â | |
19:34 | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point dunk (DeAndre Williams assists) | 2-0 | |
19:04 | Â | Kyler Edwards misses two point jump shot | Â | |
19:02 | Â | Alex Lomax defensive rebound | Â | |
18:45 | Â | DeAndre Williams misses two point dunk | Â | |
18:43 | Â | Cougars defensive rebound | Â | |
18:44 | Â | Jump ball. Fabian White Jr. vs. DeAndre Williams (Fabian White Jr. gains possession) | Â | |
18:33 | Â | Jamal Shead misses two point layup | Â | |
18:31 | Â | Landers Nolley II defensive rebound | Â | |
18:20 | Â | Lester Quinones misses three point jump shot | Â | |
18:18 | Â | Kyler Edwards defensive rebound | Â | |
18:10 | Â | Fabian White Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Lester Quinones steals) | Â | |
18:05 | Â | DeAndre Williams misses two point layup | Â | |
18:03 | Â | Taze Moore defensive rebound | Â | |
17:56 | +2 | Fabian White Jr. makes two point dunk (Jamal Shead assists) | 2-2 | |
17:35 | Â | Taze Moore shooting foul (DeAndre Williams draws the foul) | Â | |
17:35 | Â | DeAndre Williams misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â | |
17:35 | +1 | DeAndre Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-2 | |
17:13 | +2 | Fabian White Jr. makes two point hook shot (Taze Moore assists) | 3-4 | |
16:51 | Â | Alex Lomax turnover (bad pass) (Josh Carlton steals) | Â | |
16:40 | Â | Josh Carlton misses two point layup | Â | |
16:38 | Â | Landers Nolley II defensive rebound | Â | |
16:33 | Â | Jamal Shead personal foul (Landers Nolley II draws the foul) | Â | |
16:24 | Â | Jalen Duren turnover (bad pass) (Taze Moore steals) | Â | |
16:18 | Â | Jalen Duren blocks Taze Moore's two point layup | Â | |
16:16 | Â | DeAndre Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
16:15 | +2 | DeAndre Williams makes two point layup | 5-4 | |
16:15 | Â | Jamal Shead shooting foul (DeAndre Williams draws the foul) | Â | |
16:15 | Â | DeAndre Williams misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | Â | |
16:15 | Â | Kyler Edwards defensive rebound | Â | |
15:58 | Â | Kyler Edwards misses three point jump shot | Â | |
15:56 | Â | DeAndre Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
15:45 | Â | Malcolm Dandridge turnover (traveling) | Â | |
15:45 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
15:42 | Â | Malcolm Dandridge shooting foul (Taze Moore draws the foul) | Â | |
15:42 | +1 | Taze Moore makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-5 | |
15:42 | Â | Taze Moore misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â | |
15:42 | Â | Lester Quinones defensive rebound | Â | |
15:22 | Â | Tyler Harris misses two point jump shot | Â | |
15:20 | Â | Josh Carlton defensive rebound | Â | |
15:08 | Â | Kyler Edwards misses three point jump shot | Â | |
15:06 | Â | Tyler Harris defensive rebound | Â | |
14:59 | Â | Tyler Harris misses three point jump shot | Â | |
14:57 | Â | Kyler Edwards defensive rebound | Â | |
14:53 | Â | Kyler Edwards turnover (bad pass) | Â | |
14:28 | Â | J'wan Roberts blocks Earl Timberlake's two point layup | Â | |
14:26 | Â | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | Â | |
14:05 | +2 | Taze Moore makes two point jump shot (Kyler Edwards assists) | 5-7 | |
13:39 | Â | Earl Timberlake misses two point jump shot | Â | |
13:37 | Â | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | Â | |
13:29 | +3 | Taze Moore makes three point jump shot (Kyler Edwards assists) | 5-10 | |
13:08 | Â | Landers Nolley II misses three point jump shot | Â | |
13:06 | Â | Kyler Edwards defensive rebound | Â | |
12:59 | Â | Earl Timberlake blocks Josh Carlton's two point dunk | Â | |
12:58 | Â | Earl Timberlake defensive rebound | Â | |
12:58 | Â | Jump ball. Earl Timberlake vs. Josh Carlton (Earl Timberlake gains possession) | Â | |
12:31 | +2 | DeAndre Williams makes two point jump shot (Tyler Harris assists) | 7-10 | |
12:13 | Â | Reggie Chaney misses two point layup | Â | |
12:11 | Â | J'wan Roberts offensive rebound | Â | |
12:10 | Â | J'wan Roberts turnover (lost ball) (Alex Lomax steals) | Â | |
11:55 | Â | DeAndre Williams turnover (bad pass) | Â | |
11:55 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
11:47 | Â | Kyler Edwards misses three point jump shot | Â | |
11:45 | Â | Fabian White Jr. offensive rebound | Â | |
11:42 | +2 | Fabian White Jr. makes two point layup | 7-12 | |
11:42 | Â | DeAndre Williams shooting foul (Fabian White Jr. draws the foul) | Â | |
11:42 | Â | Fabian White Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | Â | |
11:42 | Â | DeAndre Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
11:34 | Â | DeAndre Williams turnover (traveling) | Â | |
11:24 | Â | Kyler Edwards turnover (bad pass) (DeAndre Williams steals) | Â | |
11:11 | Â | Tyler Harris misses three point jump shot | Â | |
11:09 | Â | Kyler Edwards defensive rebound | Â | |
11:01 | Â | Ramon Walker Jr. misses three point jump shot | Â | |
10:59 | Â | Taze Moore offensive rebound | Â | |
10:56 | +3 | Kyler Edwards makes three point jump shot (Taze Moore assists) | 7-15 | |
10:38 | +2 | Lester Quinones makes two point jump shot (Alex Lomax assists) | 9-15 | |
10:16 | +2 | Taze Moore makes two point jump shot | 9-17 | |
9:39 | Â | Reggie Chaney personal foul (Jalen Duren draws the foul) | Â | |
9:26 | +2 | Alex Lomax makes two point layup | 11-17 | |
9:14 | +3 | Fabian White Jr. makes three point jump shot (Kyler Edwards assists) | 11-20 | |
8:51 | Â | Reggie Chaney personal foul (Josh Minott draws the foul) | Â | |
8:51 | Â | Josh Minott misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â | |
8:51 | +1 | Josh Minott makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-20 | |
8:30 | Â | Jamal Shead misses two point layup | Â | |
8:28 | Â | Taze Moore offensive rebound | Â | |
8:22 | Â | Fabian White Jr. misses three point jump shot | Â | |
8:20 | Â | Landers Nolley II defensive rebound | Â | |
8:15 | Â | Alex Lomax misses two point layup | Â | |
8:13 | Â | Josh Minott offensive rebound | Â | |
8:09 | Â | Josh Minott misses two point layup | Â | |
8:07 | Â | Jalen Duren offensive rebound | Â | |
8:03 | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point layup | 14-20 | |
7:50 | +3 | Kyler Edwards makes three point jump shot (Taze Moore assists) | 14-23 | |
7:32 | Â | Lester Quinones misses three point jump shot | Â | |
7:30 | Â | Alex Lomax offensive rebound | Â | |
7:22 | +2 | Josh Minott makes two point layup (Jalen Duren assists) | 16-23 | |
7:05 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
7:02 | Â | Fabian White Jr. misses two point hook shot | Â | |
7:00 | Â | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | Â | |
6:43 | +2 | Landers Nolley II makes two point jump shot (Alex Lomax assists) | 18-23 | |
6:25 | Â | Josh Minott personal foul (Fabian White Jr. draws the foul) | Â | |
6:13 | +3 | Fabian White Jr. makes three point jump shot (Kyler Edwards assists) | 18-26 | |
5:46 | +2 | Josh Minott makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jalen Duren assists) | 20-26 | |
5:25 | Â | Kyler Edwards misses three point jump shot | Â | |
5:23 | Â | Chandler Lawson defensive rebound | Â | |
5:07 | Â | Landers Nolley II offensive foul (Jamal Shead draws the foul) | Â | |
5:07 | Â | Landers Nolley II turnover | Â | |
4:50 | Â | Jamal Shead misses three point jump shot | Â | |
4:48 | Â | Fabian White Jr. offensive rebound | Â | |
4:42 | +2 | Fabian White Jr. makes two point layup | 20-28 | |
4:11 | +2 | Chandler Lawson makes two point layup (DeAndre Williams assists) | 22-28 | |
3:44 | +3 | Jamal Shead makes three point jump shot (Taze Moore assists) | 22-31 | |
3:18 | Â | Landers Nolley II misses two point jump shot | Â | |
3:16 | Â | Jamal Shead defensive rebound | Â | |
2:55 | Â | Jalen Duren blocks Fabian White Jr.'s two point layup | Â | |
2:53 | Â | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | Â | |
2:32 | Â | Jalen Duren misses two point jump shot | Â | |
2:30 | Â | Cougars defensive rebound | Â | |
2:29 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
2:11 | Â | Kyler Edwards misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:09 | Â | Josh Carlton offensive rebound | Â | |
2:03 | Â | Josh Carlton offensive foul (Tyler Harris draws the foul) | Â | |
2:03 | Â | Josh Carlton turnover | Â | |
1:49 | Â | Alex Lomax turnover (bad pass) (Josh Carlton steals) | Â | |
1:40 | +2 | Josh Carlton makes two point layup (Jamal Shead assists) | 22-33 | |
1:40 | Â | DeAndre Williams shooting foul (Josh Carlton draws the foul) | Â | |
1:40 | +1 | Josh Carlton makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 22-34 | |
1:24 | Â | Lester Quinones turnover (bad pass) (J'wan Roberts steals) | Â | |
0:54 | Â | Jalen Duren personal foul (Josh Carlton draws the foul) | Â | |
0:51 | Â | J'wan Roberts misses two point jump shot | Â | |
0:49 | Â | J'wan Roberts offensive rebound | Â | |
0:35 | +2 | J'wan Roberts makes two point layup (Taze Moore assists) | 22-36 | |
0:35 | Â | Jalen Duren shooting foul (J'wan Roberts draws the foul) | Â | |
0:35 | Â | J'wan Roberts misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | Â | |
0:35 | Â | Jalen Duren defensive rebound | Â | |
0:29 | Â | Tigers 30 second timeout | Â | |
0:05 | Â | Landers Nolley II misses two point jump shot | Â | |
0:03 | Â | Jalen Duren offensive rebound | Â | |
0:03 | Â | Official timeout | Â | |
0:02 | +2 | Jalen Duren makes two point jump shot (Landers Nolley II assists) | 24-36 | |
0:00 | Â | End of period | Â |