HOUSTON — Memphis basketball invaded the Fertitta Center and pulled off an improbable victory Saturday.
The Tigers (14-8, 8-4 AAC) made 13 free throws in 13 attempts inside the final 95 seconds to win 69-59, sending No. 7 Houston (20-4, 9-2) to its second straight loss.
It’s the fifth win in a row for the streaking Tigers.
Landers Nolley II scored a season-high 20 points to lead four Tigers who scored in double figures. Jalen Duren put up 14, while Lester Quinones and DeAndre Williams scored 13 apiece.
The win was Memphis’ first true road victory over an Associated Press top-10 team since 2005, when the Tigers beat Louisville. Houston’s loss is its fourth ever at the Fertitta Center since it opened in December 2018 and its first there since December 2019.
Here are five takeaways from the contest.
MEMPHIS VS. HOUSTON:Scouting report, score prediction
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Talk about a big break
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Houston was on the verge of getting the ball back, down just three points, with 1:35 left in the game. That’s because Memphis was struggling to get a shot off and the shot clock was winding down fast.
Williams threw up a prayer that was well wide of the mark as time expired. But the whistle blew and Reggie Chaney was called for a personal foul. Williams went to the line and made all three free throws to extend the Tigers’ lead to 59-53.
Clutch Lester Quinones
When Memphis needed a big bucket, it got quite a few.
But, Lester Quinones hit a trio of 3-pointers at key moments to help the Tigers.
Quinones drilled three, the last one being the biggest of them all. With 3:48 left in the game, and Memphis trailing 53-51, the junior guard buried a shot that gave the Tigers the lead for good.
Lethal Landers Nolley
Expectations were high for Landers Nolley II coming into this season. After all, the junior shooting guard in scoring last season and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the National Invitation Tournament.
But Nolley has been quite the consistently productive player he was for much of his debut season in a Memphis uniform. The former Virginia Tech transfer has dealt with injury issues of late and, before that, he was caught up in a positional logjam with several players, including injured freshman Emoni Bates.
On Saturday, though, Nolley looked like his old self. He dropped 20 points, helped out by 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. It’s the most 3-pointers he has made in a game this season.
How’s that for defense?
A large chunk of the Cougars’ DNA is dictating the pace of the game and taking care of the ball. Ranked 55th in the country in turnover percentage prior to the game, Houston doesn’t often make the kind of mistakes that come back to haunt them.
Then again, the Cougars haven’t played many defenses like the kind that Memphis has been playing lately. The Tigers have held their opponents to 29.9% from the field in the three games before Saturday and has forced double-digit turnovers in all but one game this season.
While the Cougars had success shooting, their ball security left a lot to be desired. Thanks to Memphis’ 57th-ranked turnover percentage defense, Houston coughed the ball up 19 times – tied for the most in any game this season.
About those lineups
Coach Penny Hardaway started his 16th different starting lineup of the season for Memphis Saturday – easily the most combinations of any team in the country.
It looked like this: Alex Lomax, Nolley, Quinones, Williams and Duren. It worked like a charm, as the Tigers jumped out to an early 15-4 lead in one of the more hostile territories in the country. Duren was efficient with eight points in nine minutes, while Williams had five points in five minutes. Duren finished the first half with only one foul, while Williams got hit with two – his second coming with 12:34 to go before halftime.
Houston called a timeout with 15:12 on the clock and everything changed. During that span, the same five-man group of Tigers never saw the floor together again. And the Cougars took advantage, immediately rattling off a 13-2 run, tying the game on a Kyler Edwards 3-pointer at the 9:47 mark.
The momentum shift helped Houston take a 31-28 lead at halftime.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected] or on Twitter @munzly.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism