SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -John Calipari liked what he saw as his 14th-ranked Memphis Tigers dominated No. 18 Gonzaga 68-50 in a nationally televised game Saturday night.

“We can’t play much better,” Calipari said after Memphis won its 14th consecutive game, the nation’s second-longest streak. “There may be a better defensive team in the country (than Memphis), but I’ve got to see it.”

Memphis (20-3) ran out to a 26-point lead in the second half, and only a late rally by Gonzaga made the game seem competitive.

Gonzaga (17-5) was held to a season low in scoring, 29 points below its average, and shot only 36 percent while committing 15 turnovers.

Both teams are dominating their conference races, so this was a last chance for each to impress the NCAA selection committee. Memphis sure did, as Tyreke Evans scored 22 points and Robert Dozier added 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“I think we are one of the best teams in the country,” said Evans, a freshman.

The Memphis defense hounded Gonzaga’s best shooters. Leading scorer Josh Heytvelt scored 11 points, but most after the outcome was no longer in doubt. Matt Bouldin scored just six points, seven below his average. Jeremy Pargo, the reigning West Coast Conference player of the year, scored two points and had four assists, but five turnovers.

Dozier said the plan was to try and deflect every loose ball and harry the Zags.

“We executed everything to perfection,” Dozier said. “I think this had to be our best effort of the year.”

Gonzaga coach Mark Few agreed.

“They dominated us in every phase of the game,” Few said. “We didn’t have an answer for them.”

The Zags were outrebounded 39-25, had five of their shots blocked, and couldn’t catch a break from the unfamiliar rims at the Spokane Arena, where they play one game per year. The arena is nearly twice the size of the on-campus McCarthey Athletic Center.

“Obviously they are quite a bit more athletic than us,” Few said.

Micah Downs came off the bench to score 13 points for Gonzaga, which saw its nine-game winning streak snapped.

Memphis, which lost to Kansas in the NCAA title game last season, has won four in a row against Gonzaga in what has become an annual series. This was the first blowout.

Both teams are dominating their lightly regarded leagues. Memphis is 8-0 in Conference USA, while the Zags are 8-0 in the West Coast Conference.

The game featured two of the nation’s better defenses, and both teams were held below their scoring averages.

Memphis went on a 12-2 run to build a 23-12 lead midway through the first half, as the Zags were hampered by turnovers.

Downs hit a 3-pointer and two free throws as the Zags cut the lead to 28-20, the closest they would get. Evans hit 3-pointers at the beginning and end of a 12-3 run to give the Tigers a 40-23 halftime lead. Evans had 14 first-half points.

Heytvelt had just three points in the first and Bouldin was scoreless for Gonzaga. The 23 first-half points were the lowest for the Zags this season.

Dozier scored five early second half points as Memphis built a 47-27 lead. The Zags missed eight of their first 10 shots in the second.

Evans’ basket gave Memphis a 60-34 lead with about eight minutes left.

Memphis suddenly went cold and the Zags scored 13 straight points to cut their deficit to 60-47 with 3:29 left. Memphis was scoreless for seven minutes before Evans’ jumper made it 62-47 with 1:48 left, killing the Zags’ momentum.

“I was disappointed that last five minutes went the way it did,” Calipari said.

The Zags came in averaging 79 points, and lead the nation in opponents’ field-goal percentage, allowing just 36.6 percent - but Memphis shot 44 percent.

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Check out Tyreke’s diary on Philly Hoops!

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Tickets are available for the Conference USA Men’s Basketball Championship that will be held at FedExForum in Memphis, March 11-14.

Fans can purchase all-session tickets through the University of Memphis Tiger ticket office online at www.GoTigersGo.com, and by calling 901-678-2331. The all-session tickets are good for all four days of the tournament and includes 11 games. Prices are as follows: Premium - $300, Plaza - $170, Club - $170, Terrace - $80, Special Terrace - $60. Unless otherwise stated, all tickets will be sent via FedEx 2-Day delivery in mid-February. If any individual game tickets become available, they will not be on sale until Monday, March 9, 2009 through the FedExForum Box Office and Ticketmaster.

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 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -When Memphis coach John Calipari watches his team play Tennessee, he sees more than just a basketball game.”What I told the guys was it was going to be war,” he said. “I watched the tape from last year, and it was a war. It was not basketball, it was hand-to-hand combat.”

Tyreke Evans scored 17 points, including a free throw with one second remaining, helping the No. 22 Tigers to a 54-52 victory over the in-state rival Vols on Saturday. It was Memphis’ 10th straight win.

The Tigers avenged last season’s loss to Tennessee, when the two teams met as No. 1 vs. No. 2. The underdog Vols won 66-62 in that one, handing Memphis its only loss of the regular season and knocking it from the top of the poll.

Evans scored Memphis‘ final seven points, making a layup with 2:53 remaining to give the Tigers (16-3) a 53-50 lead.

He was a high school senior for last year’s historic game, but Calipari made it very clear to him how important it was to win.

“It’s a rivalry game and (Calipari) and their coach don’t get along,” Evans said. “I could see it in his face how bad he wanted to win. I think he’s probably happier than us.”

Wayne Chism, who scored Tennessee’s last 11 points, made two free throws with 2:34 left to cut Memphis‘ lead to 53-52.

Both teams would go the next 2 minutes without scoring.

Evans missed a short jumper with 34 seconds left, and Bobby Maze grabbed the rebound for Tennessee (12-6). After a timeout, Tyler Smith, who scored the winning shot in last year’s game, missed an off-balance jumper with about 5 seconds left.

“I was trying to make some contact. I thought I did, but at the same time, I’ve got to make that shot,” Smith said.

After Evans missed the back end a 1-and-1, Chism grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with one second left. All the Vols could manage was a midcourt shot by Josh Tabb that fell short.

Antonio Anderson and Doneal Mack both had 10 points for the Tigers, while Shawn Taggart grabbed nine rebounds.

Chism led the Vols with 15 points, while Smith had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and J.P. Prince had 10 points.

It was a game of runs, with eight lead changes and seven ties. Tennessee grabbed its largest lead on a tip-in by Smith with 8:43 left in the first half to make it 19-14.

After being down by a point at halftime, Memphis slowly pulled away with the help of free throws by Taggart and a 3-point play by Evans.

The Tigers grabbed a 42-34 lead on a layup by Evans with 15:41 left.

Chism found his shot with a layup with 9:59 left and scored the next nine points to keep the Tigers within reach.

Memphis has used its stingy defense to hold opponents to 37.1 percent from the floor this season, and Tennessee could manage only 32.7 percent. The Tigers shut down the Vols’ perimeter game, holding them to only two 3-point baskets.

“Our opponents will continue to collapse on us, and until we make some jump shots it will continue to happen,” Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said.

The Tigers only shot 33.9 percent against a Vols defense that has struggled all season.

Before Saturday, Tennessee had won the last two and seven of the last nine meetings with Memphis. All but five of the teams’ all-time meetings have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

“We came out with the victory. Losing three in a row would have killed me,” Anderson said.

Tennessee has lost only two non-conference home games under Pearl in 30 tries. The first came Jan. 7 in a 89-79 overtime loss to Gonzaga.

“This game is a resume-building opportunity loss for us,” Pearl said. Memphis is a very good team, as was Gonzaga, and those were both resume-building opportunities.”

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson and Tyreke Evans each scored 15 points and Memphis rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit to beat UCF 73-66 on Saturday.

Memphis (12-3, 2-0 Conference USA) snapped the Knights’ 12-game home winning streak in front of the largest crowd in UCF history (9,825).

UCF (10-5, 0-1) took a 53-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Isaac Sosa with 14:52 remaining. But Memphis’ defense didn’t allow the Knights a field goal for the next 11:18. During that period, the Tigers outscored UCF 21-7 to take a 69-60 lead.

Jermaine Taylor’s basket with 51 seconds left brought the Knights to 69-66, but a basket by Evans and two free throws by Doneal Mack, who finished with 11 points, sealed the Memphis victory.

Taylor finished with 24 points, Tony Davis scored 16 and Kenrick Zondervan finished with 10 points for UCF.

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Jan. 3, 2009

Final Stats

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Antonio Anderson scored 12 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds to help Memphis to a 108-75 victory over Lamar on Saturday night.

Anderson became only the second Memphis player in history to record a triple-double since Anfernee Hardaway in 1993. Tyreke Evans, who went 11 of 16 from the field, scored 25 points.

Robert Dozier finished with 19 points, and Shawn Taggart scored 15 points Doneal Mack had 14 for the Tigers (10-3).

Kenny Dawkins led Lamar (9-4) with 19 points, while Brandon McThay contributed 12. Charlie Harper and Tristan Worrell had 11 apiece for the Cardinals.

Memphis, which won its fourth straight since a 72-65 loss to Syracuse on Dec. 20, shot 53 percent.

Memphis put the game away in the first half, erasing an early Lamar advantage with a 16-0 run.

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Tyreke Evans had 27 points and seven steals, both career highs, to lead Memphis to an 80-48 victory over Northeastern on Wednesday.

The freshman guard connected on 9 of 13 shots, including 4 of 5 from outside the 3-point arc as Memphis won its third straight. Robert Dozier added 16 points, making all 10 of his free throws, and Antonio Anderson scored 11 for Memphis.

The Tigers (9-3) pulled away at the end of the first half and were never threatened the rest of the way.

Manny Adako led Northeastern (6-5), hitting all seven of his shots in the game. Matt Janning, the Huskies’ leading scorer, was limited to six points, going 2-for-12 from the field. Janning missed all four of his 3-point shot attempts.

The Huskies, coming off a 55-42 win at Indiana on Monday, held an early lead, but struggled after the midway point of the first half.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Antonio Anderson scored 18 points while Tyreke Evans added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Memphis to a 60-45 victory over Cincinnati on Monday night.

“We laughed and said Tyreke (Evans) could have had a quadruple double because he almost had 10 turnovers, but it was his first start at point guard and I was on him,” said Memphis coach John Calipari. “The only thing he has to do is jump shot.”

Anderson, who has struggled shooting for most of the season, connected on 8 of 13 shots as the Tigers won their second straight and snapped the Bearcats’ four-game winning streak. He also added eight assists in the win.

“We need senior leadership and Antonio (Anderson) showed it today,” Calipari said. “He had some courage on some shots. In transition, he pulled up. And we have other guys wide open and no one near them and they’re shooting air balls. I’m trying to get Tyreke in that bunch.”

Anderson’s 18 points were a season-high for the senior from Lynn, Mass. His previous high on the season was 15 points against Massachussetts. Anderson has had previous success against Cincinnati, netting 32 points on 11 made field goals, including seven three pointers against the Bearcats during his freshman season in 2005.

Robert Dozier added 17 points for Memphis (8-3).

Deonta Vaughn led the Bearcats (10-3) with 17 points, and was the only Cincinnati player in double figures. The Bearcats were hindered by a 26.1 percent shooting from the field (12 of 46) and 20 turnovers.

“If you hold a team to 60 points, with as much athleticism as Memphis has and hold them to 37.5 percent shooting, we should have a chance,” said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. “You can’t have 20 turnovers though. We had some guys that looked really shaky with the basketball tonight. Of course, we’re starting two freshmen, and we have a long way to go as far as being able to go on the road with success.

Memphis will return to the court on New Year’s Eve for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff with Northeastern. The game marks the fifth-straight home game for the Tigers at FedExForum. It is part of a seven-game home stand for the U of M.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Jonny Flynn had 24 points and six assists, Paul Harris added 15 points and eight rebounds and No. 11 Syracuse beat No. 23 Memphis 72-65 on Saturday night.

Flynn, who was questionable for the game because of an ailing hip that he hurt in the second half against Canisius on Wednesday, was 9-of-17 from the field.

Rick Jackson finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Orange (11-1).

Roburt Sallie and Pierre Henderson-Niles led Memphis (6-3) with 12 points apiece, as the Tigers shot 34 percent in the game. They were just 7-of-33 outside the 3-point arc.

Memphis has lost three of its last five games.

Despite the poor shooting night, particularly from outside, Memphis was still within 60-57 with just over 5 minutes to play. But Syracuse would make enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for its second straight win, after its only loss of the season came on a desperation shot by Cleveland State on Monday night.

The Orange were without starting guard Eric Devendorf, the team’s second-leading scorer, who is under university suspension after he was accused of hitting a female student on Nov. 1.

Syracuse already has wins this season over nationally ranked Florida and Kansas, last season’s national champion.

Meanwhile, Memphis entered the game having lost to ranked teams Xavier and Georgetown.

Syracuse packed its zone defense into the paint, leaving Memphis to pass the ball around the perimeter looking for an opening. There was little reason for the Orange to extend because Memphis made only one of 15 shots from outside the arc in the first half.

The Orange initially weren’t shooting much better, hitting only one of their first seven shots from 3-point range, but they would get better as Memphis continued to misfire.

Flynn was the offensive spark for the Orange in the first half. His 3-pointer from the top of the key stopped Memphis’ 9-0 run, then hit another 3 from near the same spot.

The Orange eventually would close the half on a 15-6 run, including the last seven points, to carry a 35-33 lead into the break. Syracuse hit seven of it last 10 shots from the field, including all three of its 3-pointers.

Flynn finished the half with 12 points.

The two teams remained close in the second half. Memphis coach John Calipari kept grasping for anyone who could make a shot, continually shuffling players as Memphis missed 18 of its first 19 from long range. Nothing worked even as Syracuse sloughed off on defense.

The most success against the zone came from those limited times where the Tigers were able to force passes into the lane, but that was rare. Memphis would take a 53-52 lead with 8:50 left, but Flynn answered the basket and the Orange didn’t trail the rest of the way.

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By Kevin Tatum
Inquirer Staff Writer

Tyreke Evans left home to play college basketball and certainly took his jump shot with him.
Memphis played for the NCAA title last season, but this season, the Chester native is the Tigers’ leading scorer.

Evans, a freshman guard, was averaging 16.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals going into Memphis’ game against Syracuse today. Evans and the Tigers will play Drexel on Monday in Memphis.

But Evans also took with him a sense that it was time to grow up.

“Leaving home is big,” Evans said in a recent interview. “Time to man up, being in college and doing what you have to do. It’s like I thought it would be, and I like it better than high school. You’re more on your own.”

Though hindered by ankle and foot injuries, the 6-foot-6 Evans has played well enough to be the Conference-USA co-rookie of the week three times this fall. Memphis is 6-2. Evans’ season high is the 29 points he delivered on Dec. 2 in a 100-61 rout of Marist, and he has also had two 19-point outings.

Memphis returned eight letter-winners from last year’s squad, which won 38 games, an NCAA record, before falling to Kansas in the title game. Among the missing is guard Derrick Rose, who was taken by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft after averaging 14.9 points and 4.5 rebounds as a freshman.

“I’m going to stay for as many years as I need to,” Evans said of his future.

For a while in late 2007, Evans had more pressing concerns. His cousin was charged with first- and third-degree murder after allegedly shooting a person on the street while riding in an SUV Evans was driving. Evans was not charged in the incident, which occurred on Nov. 25, 2007.

Evans was in the midst of his last season playing at American Christian Academy. Memphis coach John Calipari did not back off recruiting Evans because of the circumstances.

“This kid is so different from the perception about him out there in the public realm,” Calipari said. “He is very coachable, and wants to be coached. It’s important that he wants to learn because I’ve been around some players in the past that didn’t want to be coached. First, Tyreke is an unbelievable kid, and second, he is a tremendous talent.”

Villanova coach Jay Wright, who became familiar with Evans and his family when the player was in the ninth grade, said he had bittersweet feelings about not landing Evans.

“As much as we would have loved to have had him here, we just feel good that he has found a place that can help him achieve his dreams,” Wright said. “His family was very forthright and honest with us every step of the way. He’s a great kid and an extremely gifted basketball player.”

In high school, Evans averaged 32.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.3 steals. He has all the attributes - he can create off the dribble, finish, and shoot with range - and Calipari can’t wait until Evans’ physical gifts begin to pay dividends at the defensive end of the court.

“When he learns what he’s capable of defensively, you are going to sit back and say, ‘Wow!’ ” Calipari said.

“It’s a long season and I’m just trying to get better,” Evans said. “Guys are bigger and stronger, and it’s a totally different game. I’m working in the weight room because it’s a physical game. That’s more of a factor than in high school.”

As for living in Memphis, Evans has only one minor concern.

“Memphis is a little slower than back home, but people treat me good,” he said, “I do miss the cheesesteaks. They have a couple of spots here, but they’re not like at home.”

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