National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Villanova 79, Memphis 63
When: 3:30 PM ET, Friday, November 24, 2023
Where: Imperial Arena, Nassau
Officials: # Bert Smith, # Tony Padilla, # Paul Szelc
Attendance: 1201

TJ Bamba scored 13 points to lift Villanova to a 79-63 victory over Memphis on Friday in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Tyler Burton collected 11 points with nine rebounds, Justin Moore and Eric Dixon added 11 points apiece and the Wildcats (6-1) walked away with the victory after they bolted out to a 44-16 lead at halftime.

Villanova, which also won this tournament in 2013 and 2017, has won four in a row and is expected to enter the Top 25 next week.

Memphis' David Jones scored 13 points and former Villanova player Jahvon Quinerly added 12.

The Tigers (5-1) were undone in the first half when they shot just 14.8 percent from the floor (4 of 27) and 8.3 percent from 3-point range (1 of 12).

Memphis trailed 67-32 before scoring the game's next 21 points to put a brief scare into Villanova. Dixon made a layup and Jordan Longino sank a 3-pointer to effectively halt the Tigers' momentum.

After overcoming a nine-point deficit in the second half of its overtime win versus North Carolina on Thursday, Villanova bolted out of the blocks Friday. Bamba and Moore each drained a 3-pointer and answered Jaykwon Walton's jumper with 3-pointers by Hakim Hart, Longino and Burton to highlight an 11-0 run and take a 16-2 lead just over 5 1/2 minutes into the game.

Memphis made a modest bid at a comeback before Villanova scored 12 straight points to push its advantage to 44-14, capped by a straightaway 3-pointer from Bamba with 52 seconds remaining before the half.

The Wildcats made 8 of 19 attempts from 3-point range and had 10 assists on 15 made field goals in the first half.

Ashton Hardaway sank a 3-pointer and Caleb Hills made a layup to trim Memphis' deficit to 26 points with 12:20 remaining, however Moore converted from beyond the arc on consecutive possessions to push Villanova's lead to 59-27.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   Villanova
David Jones 13 Scoring TJ Bamba 13
David Jones 2 Assists Jordan Longino 5
David Jones 7 Rebounds Tyler Burton 9
Jaykwon Walton 7 Free Throws Made Mark Armstrong 4
Jayhlon Young 2 Steals Tyler Burton 2
Jordan Brown 1 Blocks TJ Bamba 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 63 35.1 7-25 16-23 7 30 2 5 11
Villanova 79 42.6 13-35 14-18 14 37 3 3 10