No. 19 Memphis survives scare to get past East Carolina

Field Level Media|published: Sat 11th January, 16:42 2025

Memphis' head coach Penny Hardaway shouts to his players during the game between the University of North Texas and the University of Memphis at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, January 5, 2025.

PJ Haggerty scored 25 points and No. 19 Memphis offered a definition of an ugly win in defeating visiting East Carolina 74-70 in an American Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 AAC) built an 18-point lead in the first half and were still ahead by 14 at the break, before the Pirates hung around by scoring the first nine points of the second half.

East Carolina eventually pulled within four with 13:54 remaining, and then within two at 54-52 on a jumper by RJ Felton with 8:03 to play.

The Pirates tied the game 68-68 on C.J. Walker's three-point play with 1:11 to play.

Haggerty hit two free throws with 1:01 remaining and Tyrese Hunter made a layup with 18 seconds left for a 72-68 lead for Memphis. After two free throws by Walker got East Carolina within two points with 11 seconds remaining, Haggerty hit two more from the line to secure the win.

Walker led East Carolina (9-8, 1-3) with 23 points and had 16 of those in the second half. Felton finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Pirates.

Poor shooting and turnovers plagued each team. Memphis finished at 41.0 percent from the floor and had 16 turnovers, with 10 in the second half, as the Pirates made their move. East Carolina shot 39.3 percent from the floor and committed 18 turnovers.

Tyrese Hunter added 14 points for Memphis, and Dain Dainja scored all 10 of his points in the second half.

In a streaky first half, the Pirates missed their first nine shots and 12 of their first 13, but they survived because the Tigers started the game slowly as well, making only 2 of 9. Buckets by PJ Carter and Haggerty pushed Memphis' lead to 11-2 with 13:13 left in the first half.

The Tigers then had a turnover and missed five straight shots, helping East Carolina to score seven straight points, four of them from Felton. Memphis responded with a 16-0 run, with Hunter scoring seven.

Walker nailed two 3-pointers during a 10-0 burst for East Carolina, but Colby Rogers scored twice from deep in a 9-0 run to push the lead back to 17. Five straight points from Felton brought the Pirates within 12, and the Tigers led 38-24 at the break.

--Field Level Media

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