In a game that featured an improbable TU comeback, Memphis broke Tulsa's heart at the end.
Cobe Williams had just tied the game on a three-pointer with 33.4 seconds left, but Jahvon Quinerly hit a well-guarded three with 3.7 seconds remaining to boost 15th-ranked Memphis to a 78-75 win Thursday night in front of a crowd of 4,226 at the Reynolds Center.
Tulsa (9-4, 0-1 AAC) almost tied the game at the end when Williams' ensuing, running three-point attempt went in-and-out just before the buzzer.
"They just kept pushing and they kept finding a way to get back into the game and give ourselves a chance and tie the game there late," said Tulsa coach Eric Konkol of his team's amazing comeback.
Memphis (12-2, 1-0) seemed to be in control of the game until near the end, being up 14 at half at 49-35, and, after a Tulsa run in the second, half, the Tigers still led by at least 10 for much of the second half, the last time with less than 6 minutes remaining.
When Carlous Williams banked a three-pointer with 5:43 to cut the margin to 69-62, it was game on. PJ Haggerty cut the lead further to 3 at 71-68 with 2:27 left. But the Tigers were able to extend the margin back to 7 at 75-68 with 1:01 left.
"Our coaches say every day in practice, it's not what you can do or what you are capable of doing, it's what you are willing to do," said Carlous Williams, a 6-6 juco transfer from Pearl River CC. "And we were willing to come down and fight to the end of the game. And it showed, even though we came up a little bit short."
A made jumper by Carlous Williams with 51.1 seconds left set off a mad series of events that had Tulsa tying the game just 17.7 seconds later.
A Haggerty steal off Quinerly and subsequent layup by Cobe Williams made it 75-72 with 36 seconds remaining. Haggerty drew a charge along the baseline from Quinerly with 35.8 seconds left, and all of a sudden, Tulsa had a chance to tie. A pass from Isaiah Barnes to Cobe Williams off an inbounds pass followed, and the game was tied.
Haggerty led Tulsa with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals, including several clutch plays down the stretch. He had 17 points at halftime, where Tulsa trailed 49-35. Unfortunately, Haggerty got the yips on free throws in the second half, going 1 of 6 from the line to finish 5 of 11 on free throws. He was an 81.5 percent free throw shooter coming into the game.
Carlous Williams had a career game, scoring a career high 16 points after coming into the game averaging 4.4 points. Williams was especially potent on three-pointers, making all 4 of his three-point attempts in the second half, along with going 5 of 5 from the field in the second half.
"My coaches, they really want me to be the hardest playing dude out there, bring the best energy that I can," said Carlous Williams. "Getting rebounds, getting loose balls, playing defense. Anything I can do to help motivate my team to get going."
Carlous Williams' three-point shooting was especially significant considering he made more threes in the second half than he had made previously all season (3 of 15, 20 percent). Williams also finished with 4 of his 5 rebounds in the second half.
"He's a guy that, with his size, he can do a number of different things," Konkol said of Carlous Williams. "What I was really pleased with was that he attacked the basketball. Those offensive rebounds, and a couple of pursuits there to keep the ball alive.
"Those are the things that get me excited as we continue to progress, because obviously, this is brand new for him too, Division I basketball, his first conference game. Very, very excited about what he did today."
Matt Reed came off the bench to provide needed inside play against a strong Memphis inside game. Reed, a 6-10 freshman, more than held his own against Memphis, with a plus/minus ratio of 10 while playing almost 20 minutes.
"Matt plays really, really hard. His consistency is tremendous. Every day in practice, games, it's all the same," Konkol said. "I thought he really grew today. Not just, he makes the three, he makes the mid-range jump shot at the end of the clock. But defensively, in the zone, he just really hustles. He's smart, he's tough, and he's not afraid to use his body."
With 9 transfers from NCAA Division I schools, Memphis is a mature and talented team. The Tigers were sizzling in the first half on offense, shooting 64 percent from the field (16 of 25), and 55 percent from three (5 of 9) in the first half.
But Tulsa clamped down on Memphis in the second half, allowing just 37.9 percent (11 of 29) in the half. And Memphis was 0-10 on three-pointers in the second half until Quinerly made his game-winner.
"The reason we got down early was we had a really hard time stopping them in the first half," Konkol said. "Then we decided to mix it up. We did a little zone in the first half, in fact, I think it was just that last possession in the first half. Then we decided, and some of it was Cobe Williams getting into foul trouble, to go into the zone.
"And then we thought we found something there a little bit. And we got some stops. We were able to just hang around. Just proud of our team for sticking with it."
David Jones, a 6-6 St. John's transfer who came into the game leading Memphis in scoring at 21.2 points per game, led Memphis with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
Nae'Qwan Tomlin, a 6-10 Kansas State transfer, also scored 17 points to go with 7 rebounds in his third game of the season. Quinerly, an Alabama transfer averaging 13.1 points, finished with 11 points, making 3 of his 6 three-pointers.
Almost beating a highly ranked team showed a lot about how far Tulsa has come from going 5-25 last season.
"It definitely gives us confidence that we can compete with the best teams out there," said Carlous Williams. "So going forward, we've got to keep that in our mind."
Tulsa's next game is at East Carolina (7-7) Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
