No. 22 Memphis 82, Houston 59: Shaq Goodwin had 20 points and Joe Jackson chipped in 18 as the Tigers cruised to the home victory.
Michael Dixon Jr. added 13 points and shot 2-of-3 from 3-point range - as did Jackson, who finished 8-of-11 from the field and dished out seven assists. Goodwin added six rebounds – tied with Nick King for the team high - for the Tigers (14-4, 4-2 AAC) and also had two of the team's three blocks.
Memphis shot 58.9 percent and limited Houston to 42.6 percent, including 2-of-14 from behind the arc. TaShawn Thomas had 14 points to lead the Cougars (11-8, 3-3), who also received 13 from Brandon Morris and 10 from LeRon Barnes.
Goodwin scored 12 straight points for Memphis shortly after the opening tip, helping the Tigers to an early 14-4 advantage. The Cougars hung tough for a while before managing only three points over the final 5:58 of the half, during which Memphis extended its lead to 47-32 at intermission.
Things did not get much more competitive in the second half, as the Cougars were no match for the Tigers' athleticism and experience. Morris made a 3-pointer to draw Houston within 55-42 with 13 1/2 minutes remaining, but Jackson answered quickly with a layup and David Pellom had a dunk as Memphis cruised down the stretch.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Tigers scored the first six points of the game and never trailed. ... Memphis G Geron Johnson chipped in eight points and five assists. ... Houston PG L.J. Rose handed out a season-high 10 assists off the bench.
Houston | Memphis | |
TaShawn Thomas 14 | Scoring | Shaq Goodwin 20 |
L.J. Rose 10 | Assists | Joe Jackson 7 |
Danuel House 7 | Rebounds | Shaq Goodwin 6 |
LeRon Barnes 2 | Free Throws Made | Geron Johnson 6 |
Brandon Morris 4 | Steals | Joe Jackson 3 |
Danrad Knowles 2 | Blocks | Shaq Goodwin 2 |