Kendric Davis leads Memphis basketball to double-digit win over Nebraska. Here's what we learned
ORLANDO, Fla. ― DeAndre Williams threw down a fierce, two-handed dunk, giving Memphis basketball a 10-point lead and forcing Nebraska to call a quick timeout.
Tigers assistant coaches Frank Haith, Faragi Phillips and Andy Borman led the charge for the bench as it stormed toward Williams, shouting with fists pumping. Memphis used that kind of energy and intensity to defeat Nebraska 73-61, bouncing back from a heartbreaking 1-point loss to Seton Hall les than 24 hours earlier.
The Tigers (3-2) will close out the ESPN Events Invitational against Stanford (10 a.m. Sunday) after an off day Saturday.
Facing the Huskers (3-3) for just the second time in program history, Memphis got double-digit days from four different players. Leading scorer Kendric Davis paced the Tigers again with 21 points, his third straight 20-plus point performance. Williams (16), Alex Lomax (13) and Keonte Kennedy (10) highlighted Davis’ strong supporting cast.
Here are three observations and takeaways from Friday’s victory.
Impacting the game: Alex Lomax Edition
Warranted or not, perhaps no Tiger has taken more heat the past two seasons than Lomax.
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It has been especially loud in recent weeks as coach Penny Hardaway has kept his former East High star in the starting lineup despite some mighty offensive struggles. Since a 10-point, 10-rebound outing in the season opener at Vanderbilt, Lomax scored eight points (on 2-of-18 shooting from the field) and collected nine rebounds in three games.
On Friday, though, Lomax made his presence felt throughout much of the win. The super senior guard busted out of his slump, dropping 13 points while adding five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Lomax was 2 for 2 from the 3-point line, his first triples since hitting one against Boise State during last season’s NCAA Tournament. It was the first time he’s connected on more than one in a game since Feb. 9, 2022, against Tulane.
Lomax’s four steals gives him 172 for his career, which moves him into 10th place on the school’s all-time list.
How to overcome a slow start
Indeed, the Tigers – who went more than three minutes without a field goal to close Thursday’s loss to Seton Hall – were still cold out of the gate Friday.
It took more than two minutes before Memphis made its first field goal, then went almost three more minutes before making its second (going 0 for 4 in the process).
As the offense struggled to get going, the Tigers’ defense held down the fort. Nebraska was limited to just one field goal on its first nine attempts and the Huskers committed five turnovers during that stretch. The defensive effort gave Memphis’ offense a chance to find its footing. After falling behind, the Tigers rattled off an 11-0 run over a 5-plus minute stretch that helped them get a strong foothold early.
Finding it in the first half
Memphis entered Friday’s game ranked 290th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (29.1%).
Through the first four games, there has been a noticeable difference in the Tigers’ success beyond the arc between the first half and second. They were shooting better than 32% before halftime and just 25% afterward.
Friday’s first half featured more of the same from Memphis, which made 5 of its 12 attempts (two apiece for Davis and Jayden Hardaway, and one from Kennedy), lifting the team’s first-half 3-point success rate to 34.5% this season. In the second half against Nebraska, the Tigers kept it going, hitting 4-of-10 from 3-point range.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Kendric Davis leads Memphis basketball to double-digit win vs Nebraska
