After seeing a 3-game winning streak halted by the FAU Owls on 1-11-26, Memphis Head Coach Penny Hardaway made a public apology to fans on his radio show. Citing lack of hustle and fight, Hardaway assured fans that this was not the time for panic mode.
Fast forward to January 14th, short-handed and out of sync at times, Memphis basketball still found a way to grind out a 55–53 victory over Temple on Jan. 14 at FedExForum.
The win lifted the Tigers to 8–8 overall and 3–1 in American Athletic Conference play, placing them in a five-way tie atop the league standings alongside South Florida, FAU, Tulane and Temple (11–6, 3–1).
Memphis created separation midway through the second half behind a burst from Curtis Givens III. Givens scored eight of his 12 points in a 70-second stretch, fueling a 12–3 Tigers run that turned a four-point edge into a 13-point lead with 12:25 remaining.
Temple refused to go away, closing the gap with a 10–2 run to pull within two points in the final four minutes. But Memphis held firm. Sincere Parker, the only other Tiger in double figures with 10 points, knocked down a crucial basket with 1:13 left to push the lead back to four and seal the narrow win.
The Tigers won despite losing Aaron Bradshaw to a knee injury in the first half and did not return to the game. The team was also missing the team’s leading rebounder Julius Thedford, who got hurt in the loss at FAU Jan. 11.
Does this game get the Tigers back on track or is there too many reoccurring factors and potential injuries that are plaguing this Memphis squad.
