Memphis crushes UAB

Jeremy Hunt contributed 14 points for Memphis (14-3, 4-0 C-USA), which has won six in a row. Willie Kemp added 12 points and five rebounds, while Chris Douglas-Roberts, the team’s leading scorer this season, played only two minutes because of a sprained ankle and went to the locker room early on.

Wen Mukubu netted 18 points and had five rebounds for the Blazers (10-8, 2-2), who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Lawrence Kinnard scored 13 points and also had five boards, while Paul Delaney III ended with 12 points and dished out five assists.

UAB jumped out to an early 11-7 lead, paced by Delaney and Mukubu, who knocked down a jumper at 15:50 for the four-point edge. The Tigers, however, easily clawed their way back, grabbing their first lead of the contest, 19-17, on Doneal Mack’s short jumper at 10:44.

The basket, preceded by Mack’s trey, ignited a 10-0 run by Memphis, which held a 29-17 edge with 6:08 to play in the front half.

"It was ugly the first five minutes of the game," said Memphis head coach John Calipari. "After that it wasn’t ugly. I thoguht we played really well. (In the beginning) I was was really disappointed. It wasn’t just CDR (Chris Douglas- Roberts) being hurt. We just played like ’I’m a cool dude.’ We can’t play that way and win. We just said, ’Then you’re not playing. We’ll just play somebody else."

The Blazers made just four more shots down the stretch, while the Tigers continued to set the pace offensively. A jumper by Mack gave them a 16-point cushion, while Antonio Anderson followed with a layup at 1:18. UAB responded with a couple of quick baskets, but Joey Dorsey’s dunk with just three ticks remaining propelled Memphis to a 42-26 halftime lead.

The Tigers were never threatened in the second half as they opened a 25-point lead with 12:03 to play in the contest.

UAB shot 44 percent from the hardwood, while Memphis knocked down 49 percent of its shots.

"We did not execute a play at all," said UAB head coach Mike Davis. "Maybe one or two throughout the game, but I don’t understand how we work on stuff at full speed and just came out with a deer in headlights kind of look. Once Memphis tied it up 17-17, it was their basketball (game) at that point."

Game Notes

The contest marked the 33rd all-time meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. The Tigers hold a 23-10 series lead, and have won eight straight over UAB at home...Anderson had a career-high nine assists for Memphis...The Tigers had 42 rebounds, while the Blazers finished with 22.