Tigers ruffle Owls’ feathers

Memphis had little trouble taking down the Owls, but this particular win nearly came at a great cost.

Will Barton, Tarik Black and Trey Draper came off the bench during a skirmish after Joe Jackson was fouled hard on a fastbreak run-out, causing them to be ejected from the game. Rice's Tamir Jackson was also ejected after the referees ruled his foul a Flagrant 2 foul.

However, head coach Josh Pastner said that neither player will be suspended by the Conference USA for the game against Marshall.

"They stepped off the bench," he said. "But they didn't come far enough off to where they were involved in the altercation. We got word that they will be cleared to play on Saturday."

Chris Crawford had 15 points and seven rebounds. Antonio Barton added 11 points and Tarik Black had ten points prior to his ejection. Will Barton had nine points and eight rebounds.

The game was tight throughout the first half with both teams combining to shoot 20-of-56 in the first half. Memphis led by 12 at halftime after an 11-1 run opened the lead late in the half.

Memphis didn't let up its pressure in the second half, forcing Rice into 18 turnovers and taking advantage. The Tigers scored 21 points from turnovers and increased their lead to as high as 27 near the end of the game. 

"Part of the season is how you finish," Pastner said. "It's about improvement; it's about ‘Are you getting better?' We've still got a ways to go; we're not a finished product. But we're getting better, and that's the most important thing."

The Tigers shot 42.9 percent (27-63) from the field, including 6-of-15 from deep. They also outrebounded the Owls 40-28, including a season high-tying 16 offensive boards.

"I'm really proud of our guys on the glass," Pastner said. "We continue to get better in those areas. And, we had 14 assists on 27 made field goals. It was a good win for the Tigers."

Memphis limited Rice's leading scorer Tamir Jackson to just ten points and star forward Arsalan Kazemi to just four points and eight rebounds. 

"Arsalan's a pro prospect," Pastner said. "I think defensively we did a good job against him. We have great respect for him. We know how good he is, so we're definitely not taking him for granted."

Memphis moved to 14-6 (5-1) in Conference USA, putting them in a tie for first place with Southern Miss.

The Tigers will host the Marshall Thundering Herd in a C-USA top-four showdown on Saturday. Marshall comes into the game at 13-7 (4-2) after losing at home to UAB on last night.