AAC Basketball: Memphis cruises to home win versus UConn

Memphis takes control in second half to get first AAC basketball victory of the season.

The Memphis Tigers scored their first win of the AAC season Thursday night with their 70-61 victory over the UConn Huskies.

Memphis only had a 32-24 lead at halftime, but they pulled ahead in the second half, getting up by as many as 20 points. However, UConn battled back to get the lead down to single-digits a few times in the second half.

Memphis struggled during the first few minutes of the first half, as UConn jumped out to a 9-4 lead. The Tigers recovered and clawed their way back as UConn went cold on the floor.

The Huskies went on a five minute scoring drought as the Tigers continued to add to their lead. Memphis got up by 10 late, but a Jalen Adams field goal at the buzzer put UConn down eight at the break.

Markel Crawford shined for Memphis in the first half, scoring 11 of his game-high 18 points during that time span.

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Dedric Lawson recorded a double-double for his efforts, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

It’s the 12th double-double of the season for Lawson. With Lawson’s 15-point night, he drops to second in the conference in scoring with 20.2 points per game, behind Houston’s Rob Gray.

Jimario Rivers had 16 points for Memphis, while K.J. Lawson scored nine.

The Tigers are now 1-1 in AAC play and 11-4 on the season. They hit the road Sunday to continue conference play.

Rodney Purvis and Vance Jackson each scored 14 points to lead UConn.

Jackson served as a bright spot for the Huskies in the second half, scoring 11 during that time. The freshman came into Thursday’s game averaging 6.6 points per game.

The scoring struggles continued for UConn though, as they shot 37 percent from the field in the game.

Adams, the Huskies leading scorer, struggled in particular. The sophomore guard scored a season-low six points on 3-for-14 shooting.

UConn faces bigger issues, however. They’re 0-3 in conference play and 5-9 on the season. It doesn’t get easier from here on out.

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The Huskies head back home Sunday to play a Central Florida team that has won five straight games. UConn will likely have to contend with 7’6″ Tacko Fall, which isn’t an easy task. Fall is averaging 14.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. UCF also brings a tough defense, allowing 57.1 points per game, fewest in the AAC.