MEMPHIS (AP) — A lackadaisical Memphis team almost went into cruise control too early.
Robert Dozier scored 15 points and Shawn Taggart and Tyreke Evans both added 12 as the 23rd-ranked Tigers weathered a late rally to hold on for a 59-51 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday night.
Dozier missed only one of his four shots from the field and was 9-of-12 from the line as the Tigers (6-2) rebounded from a 79-70 overtime loss at Georgetown on Saturday.
But the effects of playing a close game on the road against a nationally ranked opponent could have produced a bit of a competitive hangover for the Tigers against the Trojans.
“We just weren’t prepared,” Dozier said. “Guys came in during the warmups and the layup line, and you could kind of see it. Guys were just going through the motions or weren’t going hard. We just all around weren’t prepared. We played sloppy.”
Memphis appeared to be in control, leading by 18 points with just under 10 minutes left. But a rally by the Trojans that included 3-pointers from Curtis Jackson, Matt Mouzy and Steven Moore cut the deficit to 51-45 with 2:26 left.
UALR (7-3) got within five points on several occasions late, but Memphis was able to hold on down the stretch, despite not scoring from the field over the final 8:07.
Moore led UALR with 16 points.
“I thought we had a little bit more poise,” Trojans coach Steve Shields said. “I was proud of our guys from a tenacity standpoint. We were down 18 at one point and continued to fight through a very talented and well-coached team.”
Memphis coach John Calipari wasn’t talking about his team in terms of talent after trying several combinations. The usually talkative Calipari couldn’t find a lot to say, other than mouthing a “Wow” for the escape, and a rather somber “We’ll get better,” promise. In some cases, players aren’t playing with confidence.
“Guys are tentative,” Calipari said. “They’re not confident enough that they can finish the play. Why? Because they just missed three layups.”
Both teams shot just 33.3 percent from the field and Memphis was 3-of-20 from 3-point range. Evans was 2-of-9 from the field, while Taggart was 3-of-11.
Meanwhile, UALR starting forwards Shane Edwards and Mike Smith were a combined 2-of-15 for the game. Still, Shields said his team stayed with their game plan and almost came back at the end. He noted that Memphis is much more successful when it forces turnovers.
“I thought we did a good job of staying with our goal of keeping them off the offensive glass and closing gaps,” Shields said. “ You know there is little margin for error.”
Mouzy, who had six points, sank a 3-pointer with 4:05 left to cap a 10-0 run that got the Trojans within 50-42. But UALR could not get the deficit under five the rest of the way.