National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Southern Methodist 87, Memphis 72
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 1, 2014
Where: Moody Coliseum, Abilene, Texas
Officials: # Jeff Clarke, # Jeb Hartness, # Ted Valentine
Attendance: 7058

Southern Methodist 87, No. 22 Memphis 72: Sophomore standouts Markus Kennedy and Nic Moore each posted a double-double as the Mustangs blitzed the visiting Tigers in the second half to win comfortably.

In the finest game of his young career, Kennedy made all 10 of his shots and finished with career highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds to go along with three steals. Moore added 14 points and 10 assists while Sterling Brown (career-high 15 points), Nick Russell (11) and Keith Frazier (10) also scored in double figures for Southern Methodist (17-5, 6-3 AAC).

The Mustangs shot nearly 58 percent in improving to 11-0 at home and winning for the sixth time in seven games overall. The Tigers (16-5, 7-2) were led by Joe Jackson's 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Geron Johnson had 18 points and Michael Dixon Jr. pitched in with 13.

Kennedy snapped a 29-29 tie with a layup on the opening possession of the second half, sparking a quick 10-2 run that was capped by a pair of 3-pointers by Moore. Memphis remained close for a bit, closing to within 40-34 on Johnson's dunk before Kennedy made a layup to start a 12-0 run.

Brown added a layup of his own and, after a bucket by Moore, Brown knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to make it 56-36. A 3-pointer by Frazier with just over eight minutes left gave SMU its biggest lead, 66-41, before Jackson and Dixon took over in the final 7 1/2 minutes to make the final score more respectable.

GAME NOTEBOOK: It was not an impressive day for free-throw shooting, as Memphis made 16-of-26 attempts while SMU was 12-of-24. While shooting 10-of-10 from the field, Kennedy somehow missed five of his six foul shots. ... Brown's previous high was nine points, set against Connecticut on Jan. 4. ... The Tigers, who shot only 40.3 percent and committed 16 turnovers, had won six of their last seven games.
Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   Southern Methodist
Joe Jackson 22 Scoring Markus Kennedy 21
Geron Johnson 7 Assists Nic Moore 10
Dominic Woodson 11 Rebounds Markus Kennedy 15
Joe Jackson 7 Free Throws Made Nic Moore 4
Joe Jackson 3 Steals Markus Kennedy 3
Shaq Goodwin 2 Blocks Keith Frazier 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 72 40.3 6-24 16-26 16 35 2 11 16
Southern Methodist 87 57.6 7-21 12-24 23 36 2 8 17