March Madness 2022: Memphis holds off Boise State rally for 1st-round win

DeAndre Williams had 14 factors, Jalen Duren made a vital basket down the stretch and No. 9 seed Memphis held off a second-half rally by Boise State for a 64-53 victory Thursday within the opening spherical of the NCAA Event.

The Tigers (22-10), whose poor begin to the season had coach Penny Hardaway dropping expletives in a press convention, are into the second spherical within the West Area and can play top-seeded Gonzaga or Georgia State on Saturday.

Duren completed with 10 factors and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who had been 9-8 after 17 video games however went on a late-season cost to succeed in the event for the primary time since 2014. The Tigers have now received 13 of their previous 15 video games.

Abu Kigab had 20 factors to steer the eighth-seeded Broncos (27-8), the Mountain West regular-season and event champs, who had been making their first look within the event since 2015.

Boise State trailed by 19 on the half however, making the most of a chilly snap by the Tigers, narrowed the hole to 42-35 with 9:45 left. The Tigers had scored simply 4 second-half factors earlier than Williams’ dunk with 9:18 left received them going once more.

Kigab hit a 3-pointer and a brief jumper to get Boise State inside 49-43 with 5:55 remaining, however Williams answered once more with a 30-pointer for the Tigers. And when the Broncos closed to 56-51 with 1:26 left on Naje Smith’s layup, and the groups traded foul photographs, Duren’s layup pushed the margin to 60-53 and gave Memphis some respiration room.

Alex Lomax, hobbled within the first half by an ankle harm, added some clinching free throws for the Tigers.

It was a disappointing end to a dream season for longtime coach Leon Rice, whose Boise State groups had been dumped from the NCAA Event in First 4 video games their previous two journeys. The Broncos beat San Diego State to win the Mountain West tourney title and their 27 wins set the varsity file for a single season.

If it was a dream season for the Broncos, chunk of it was a nightmare for Hardaway and the Tigers. That they had one of many nation’s high recruiting class, led by Duren and fellow early arrival Emoni Bates, however Hardaway struggled to discover a strong lineup till January — Bates had not performed since Jan. 27 due to a again harm.

The Tigers have hit their stride down the stretch, although, reaching the title recreation of the American Athletic Convention tourney earlier than dropping to Houston. They usually saved that momentum going into Thursday’s first-round recreation, occurring an 8-0 run early to take a 27-17 lead when Bates hit a 3-pointer with 4:26 left within the half.

Lomax hit a 3 a couple of minutes later that gave Memphis a 38-19 lead on the break, however he got here down exhausting and appeared to injure his left ankle. He was limping as he headed for the Tigers’ bench however returned to begin the second half.

BATES IS BACK

Bates, who reclassified as a freshman, traveled to Portland with the workforce however it wasn’t sure he would play till the second he stepped on the courtroom. He warmed up earlier than tipoff and was in uniform for the sport, finally checking in with 5:57 left in the first half. His 3-pointer was his solely factors of the sport.

BIG PICTURE

Memphis, which beat Boise State in final 12 months’s NIT, had an enormous benefit on the boards (39-30) to beat 15 turnovers and draw back down the stretch. However it should take a greater efficiency on the offense finish if the Tigers wish to beat their seemingly second-round opponent Gonzaga, the nationwide runner-up a 12 months in the past.

Boise State, which ranked seventeenth within the nation for defensive effectivity, had not trailed by greater than seven factors at halftime earlier than Thursday. The Broncos practically overcame the deficit however it proved to be merely an excessive amount of.

UP NEXT

Memphis faces Gonzaga or Georgia State for a spot within the Candy 16.