GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - A career night by J.T. Tiller put Missouri one win away from its first trip to the Final Four. Memphis’ 27-game winning streak, meanwhile, is history.

Tiller scored a career-high 23 points - 15 more than his season average - and Missouri held off Memphis’ frantic rally for a 102-91 win Thursday night in the semifinals of the West Regional.

Third-seeeded Missouri led by 24 points four minutes into the second half, then saw Memphis close within six with 2:14 to play. Mizzou put it away from the foul line.

Missouri (31-6) advanced to play top-seeded Connecticut for the West title on Saturday.

“We came out and kind of took the fight to Memphis early on, and before you know it, our guys had a little confidence,” Missouri coach Mike Anderson said.

Dynamic point guard Tyreke Evans scored 33 for second-seeded Memphis (33-4). The Tigers shot only 18-for-32 from the foul line - last year, a poor showing at the foul line cost them dearly in an overtime championship game loss to Kansas.

Missouri freshman Marcus Denman had the game’s’ most jaw-dropping basket, a swish from three-quarters court at the halftime buzzer for a 13-point lead.

Tiller, the co-defensive player of the year in the Big 12, made 10-of-16 shots and had three steals. All five Missouri starters reached double figures. DeMarre Carroll scored 17 and Leo Lyons had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Lyons was 11-for-18 from the foul line but made four straight in the final 1 1/2 minutes. In all, a whopping 77 free throws were taken, with Missouri making 30 of 45.

Robert Dozier had 19 points and 16 rebounds in Memphis’ first loss since a Dec. 20 setback against Syracuse. Antonio Anderson scored 18 in his last game for Memphis.

Missouri is among the last eight teams left in the NCAA tournament in just its third season under Anderson, a Nolan Richardson disciple who coached the last Conference USA team to beat John Calipari’s Memphis team - that was for UAB 62 games ago.

This was Tigers vs. Tigers in a matchup not only of nicknames but in-your-face, high-energy styles. Missouri ended up beating Memphis at its own game.

Missouri overwhelmed Memphis with a 27-7 run that spanned the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second.

Matt Lawrence’s third 3-pointer of the night - in four attempts - put Missouri ahead 64-40 with 16 minutes to play.

In its fourth straight regional semifinal appearance, Memphis finally turned up the pressure to force a series of turnovers that got the Conference USA champs back in the game.

Shawn Taggart’s rebound dunk cut it to 89-83 with 2:14 left, but Zaire Taylor sank two free throws to boost the lead to 91-83. Lyons made two free throws with 1:30 left, then two more with 1:21 to go and it was 95-85.

Lawrence had started it all for Missouri with a 3-pointer that ignited an 11-1 run. The Tigers took a 37-29 lead on Tiller’s inside basket with 5:39 left in the half.

After one of many driving layups by the freshman Evans cut it to 37-33, Missouri outscored Memphis 12-3 the rest of the half. Calipari aided the spurt with a technical foul. That resulted in one of two free throws by Lawrence, then another inside basket by Tiller.

Denman banked in a long shot with 21.2 seconds left, and the officials stopped play to study the video before deciding it was a 2-pointer. There certainly was no question on his next shot. After Taggart’s dunk for Memphis with just under four to seconds to go, Missouri got the ball to Denman, who let fly with defenders around him, a shot that hit nothing but the net as the horn blared.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - It may not have been pretty, but the Memphis Tigers are perfect for another season in Conference USA.

The fifth-ranked Tigers closed out the regular season Saturday by extending several streaks, including their third straight undefeated season in C-USA, with a 74-47 victory over Tulane.

Robert Dozier had 16 points and 12 rebounds as three Memphis players recorded double-doubles, and the Tigers extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 22 games.

The win also gave the Tigers 58 straight wins, including the postseason, in C-USA. Seniors Dozier, Antonio Anderson and Chance McGrady have won 132 games in their four-year careers at Memphis.

“That’s something you don’t dream of,” Dozier said.

At times, Memphis struggled in the game, partly because of the Senior Day ceremonies, and perhaps because they again were moving through the conference schedule without many challenges.

“I wouldn’t say we were bored, but sometimes we tend to lack focus in games,” said reserve guard Roburt Sallie, who finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers in the second half. “We know we have to maintain what we need to do to beat teams.”

Tyreke Evans had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Shawn Taggart added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (28-3, 16-0).

Kevin Sims had 14 points for the Green Wave (13-16, 7-9). Kris Richard, Tulane’s second-leading scorer with an 11.2 average, had four points on 2-of-12 shooting as the Green Wave shot 30 percent in the game.

“The problem that Memphis presents to everyone in our conference is that we’re not used to playing against two guys being 6-9 (Dozier) and 6-10 (Taggart) with long arms,” Tulane coach Dave Dickerson said. “Evans is probably the best player in our conference and had 10 rebounds and got a double-double.”

Tulane kept it interesting as the Tigers played uninspired until midway in the second half. But Memphis rallied when the Green Wave got near, closing the game on a 27-4 run. Memphis coach John Calipari knew the Tigers would face Tulane’s best since the Green Wave had not played in a week.

“I kind of figured they’d come in with lively legs, and they did,” Calipari said. “Then they hung around.”

Tulane missed seven of its first eight shots, but Memphis was also a bit out of sync. At one point, out of a timeout, the Tigers coaching staff sent six players on the court leading to a technical foul.

Dozier said there may have been a bit of hangover from the pregame festivities, where the seniors and their families were honored.

“Everything I did felt kind of heavy,” Dozier said. “It felt like you had something extra on your back. But once guys settled down, we got into a little flow, we just took off.”

The Memphis defense caused problems for the Green Wave, allowing the Tigers to build to a 35-26 halftime lead. Taggart, who got on the boards early for second-chance opportunities, had 12 points in the half, missing only one of his six shots

Memphis missed five shots to open the half and Tulane went on a 7-0 run to get within 35-33 in the opening 4 minutes.

The Tigers went on a 23-2 run midway through the half. Dozier hit a 3-pointer, and Anderson scored four straight points to start the rally, and by the time Sallie connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key, the Tigers had extended the lead to 65-45 with 3:47 left.

Dozier said he was never worried.

“I saw that we were struggling,” he said. “But I’ve been here four years, and, with us, we always find a way to pick it up.”

But it was the latest example of a Memphis team that has let opponents hang around until the second half. Houston was in the game with Memphis before losing 69-60 on Wednesday, and several other recent games have been close. Calipari wants to get his team out of the mind-set as they move into the postseason.

“What I’m worried about is in the last few games now, we’ve played just well enough to win,” Calipari said. “You seen them huddle out there with 9 minutes left, and they’re telling each other, as a team: ‘OK. Let’s go.’

“You can’t do that against a really good team. You’ll be down by 20, or you’ll be really close, and a really good team will continue to make plays.”

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Robert Dozier scored a career-high 23 points, Tyreke Evans added 13 and No. 8 Memphis routed Tulsa 63-37 Wednesday night for its 15th straight victory.

The Tigers (21-3, 9-0 Conference USA) won their 51st consecutive game in league play.

Jerome Jordan, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds against Memphis earlier this season, was held to a team-high eight points and three rebounds for Tulsa (17-8, 7-3). Ben Uzoh, Tulsa’s leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with three points.

Memphis limited Tulsa to 36 percent shooting, including 25 percent in the first half.

The Tigers led by 13 at halftime and extended their advantage to 22 after Evans scored on a driving layup with 14:07 left. The lead reached 23 points when reserve guard Willie Kemp connected on a 3-pointer, his only field goal. with about 3 1/2 minutes to go.

Memphis shot 54.5 percent in the second half to pull away.

The Tigers defeated Tulsa 55-54 on Jan. 13, but needed a last-second layup by Antonio Anderson to escape.

Memphis struggled in the first half, missing 14 of its first 20 shots. However, the Tigers used an 11-2 run over the final 6 minutes of the half to take a 28-15 lead at the break.

During the run, the Tigers got a layup from Evans, a 3-pointer from Dozier and three-point plays from Evans and Anderson. Tulsa failed to make a field goal in the final 6:24 of the first half, its only points in that stretch coming on two free throws by Jordan.

Tulsa, which outrebounded the Tigers by 18 in the teams’ first meeting, had a 21-15 edge on the boards at the half. But the Golden Hurricane shot only 25 percent in the half. Memphis was 10-of-28 for 35.7 percent.

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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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 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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