For the Memphis Tigers to be successful against No. 22 LSU, they had to do two things: make sophomore guard Tremont Waters uncomfortable and contain freshman forward Naz Reid as much as possible. The team was able to accomplish both of these things; at least in the first half.
Nevertheless, the Tigers of Baton Rouge needed one of their players to step up during the nail-biting game. Guard Skylar Mays carried his team by scoring a season-high and team-high of 19 points and led them to victory by defeating Memphis 85-76.
“I’ve been shooting the ball pretty badly to start the year off,” Mays said to reporters in Baton Rouge after the game. “It was good to see one go in and get my confidence going from there.”
Mays was shooting 38 percent from the field and 16 percent from beyond the arc prior to Tuesday night’s game against Memphis. As his team battled, Mays rose to the challenge, knocking down six of his 11 field goals and shooting three for five from downtown. His offensive production earned national attention, as he threw down a thunderous dunk on top of 6-foot-8 forward Mike Parks.
“It felt good,” Mays said. “Mainly because I felt like I could get the other guys going. It felt like it was a spark for the other guys.”
LSU had a lot of offense against Memphis. Five of their players were in double-digits, led by Mays. Collectively they shot 54 percent from the field.
Not everything went well for LSU. They allowed 10 three-pointers — six made by freshman guard Tyler Harris who finished the game with 20 points. Nevertheless, they exposed Memphis in the paint by outscoring them 48-30. LSU head coach, Will Wade said he was proud of his frontcourt.
“Our post guys did a great job,” Wade said. “They were 20-28 from the field with 25 rebounds. Emmitt (Williams) and (Darius) Days got 10 offensive rebounds between them.”
Short-term memory
After the game, U of M head coach Penny Hardaway said he was proud of his team’s effort, despite the loss. Memphis played LSU to the best of their abilities. They shot 33 percent from the field and were 10 for 30 from downtown. Everything Memphis wanted to do defensively, they did.
That is what makes losing this game so hard and disappointing for Memphis. The team seemed prepared and played at a high level against LSU; however, there are no moral victories. Everything went Memphis’ way, including them taking the lead early in the second half. This game is one Memphis had chances to win, but instead, they have to take this loss and prepare to face off against Yale (1-0) at 7 p.m. Nov. 17. back at FedEx Forum.
Skylar Mays, 4, shoots over Kareem Brewton Jr. Mays led the LSU Tigers with 19 points.
