Kendric Davis scored 21 points to lead four Tigers who finished in double figures in Memphis’ 73-61 victory over Nebraska in the consolation bracket of the ESPN Events Invitational on Friday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Davis shot 9 of 19 from the field, including 2 of 5 from 3-point range, and added seven assists. DeAndre Williams posted 16 points and seven rebounds. Alex Lomax had 13 points, which included him making both of his 3-point attempts, to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Keonte Kennedy chipped in 10 points.
Memphis (3-2) advanced to the fifth-place game on Sunday morning against Stanford, which defeated Florida State 70-60 on Friday. Nebraska (3-3) will face the Seminoles in the seventh-place game on Sunday night.
The Tigers, who led by as many as 16 in the second half, shot 29 of 59 (49.2 percent) from the field, including 9 of 22 (40.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
Memphis scored 19 points off Nebraska’s 20 turnovers.
The Cornhuskers were led by Emmanuel Bandoumel, who had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Derrick Walker had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Keisei Tominaga added 11 points.
Nebraska shot 22 of 51 (43.1 percent) from the field, including 9 of 24 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Leading 33-30 at halftime, Memphis opened the second half on a 12-5 run capped by Lomax’s 3-pointer for a 45-35 advantage with 15:42 left in the game.
Another five points by Lomax made it 52-42 with 12:27 to go, and the Tigers led by no fewer than eight the rest of the way.
After Memphis jumped out to a 14-4 lead midway through the first half, the Cornhuskers chipped away at the lead to pull to within 33-30 at intermission.
Davis scored 10 first-half points and Kennedy added seven for Memphis, which shot 14 of 29 (48.3 percent) from the field, including 5 of 12 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Cornhuskers were led by Tominaga’s eight points, while Juwan Gary and Walker added six points apiece. Nebraska shot 12 of 29 (41.4 percent) from the field, including 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) from distance.
–Field Level Media