{"id":180385,"date":"2026-03-06T06:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T06:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/180385\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T06:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T06:30:08","slug":"memphis-drops-home-finale-to-league-champion-south-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/180385\/","title":{"rendered":"Memphis Drops Home Finale to League Champion South Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEMPHIS, Tenn. \u2013 Memphis stayed within striking distance most of the night, but South Florida delivered the run that decided it.
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\nThe Bulls used a 10-0 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 96-89 win over Memphis in the Tigers’ regular-season home finale Thursday night at FedExForum, clinching the outright American Conference regular-season championship while handing the Tigers their seventh straight loss.
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\nFor much of the night, the Tigers matched the league’s best team possession for possession.
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\nMemphis shot 47 percent from the field, moved the ball well with 19 assists and scored 46 points in the paint. Dug McDaniel<\/a> led the charge with 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds in one of his most complete performances of the season. Zach Davis<\/a> added 17 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting night while pulling down eight rebounds, and Sincere Parker<\/a> chipped in 14 points.
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\nStill, the margin between competitive and comfortable proved thin.
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\nAfter Memphis trimmed the deficit to 64-60 on a pair of Thierno Sylla<\/a> free throws with just over 13 minutes to play, South Florida delivered the decisive sequence. The Bulls rattled off 10 straight points in just over two minutes, stretching the lead to 74-60 and forcing Memphis to chase the rest of the night.
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\nThe Tigers kept pressing. A Curtis Givens III<\/a> layup cut the deficit to four with 41 seconds remaining, but South Florida closed the door at the free-throw line to secure the win.
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\nThe game opened with an energy that mirrored the pregame ceremony. Memphis honored six seniors – Dug McDaniel<\/a>, Sincere Parker<\/a>, Zach Davis<\/a>, Tariq Ingraham<\/a>, Thierno Sylla<\/a> and Mason Matthews<\/a> – along with senior managers Jackson Grimes and Owen Petersen prior to tipoff. The Tigers responded with one of their more spirited offensive halves in weeks, trailing just 51-46 at the break.
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\nBut as has often been the case during the current skid, one extended run proved too much to overcome.
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\nSouth Florida finished shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and controlled things down the stretch, while Memphis continued to fight from behind.
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\nWith one regular-season game remaining, Memphis sits at 12-18 overall and 7-10 in American Conference play. The Tigers remain in the race for the final spot in the American Conference Tournament, which begins March 11 in Birmingham, Alabama.
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\nA win Sunday at Tulane will clinch a spot in the tournament for Memphis.\u00a0
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\nPOSTGAME NOTES<\/p>\n


\n\tStarting Five:\u00a0Memphis opened with a starting lineup of\u00a0Dug McDaniel<\/a>,\u00a0Quante Berry<\/a>, Julius Thedford<\/a>, Zach Davis<\/a> and Aaron Bradshaw<\/a>.
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\n\t\tIt’s the 17th different starting lineup of the season for the Tigers.
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\n\tShooting:\u00a0Memphis shot 47.1 percent from the field (33-of-70) and went just 4-of-16 from the three-point line (25.0%) while knocking down 19-of-24 at the free-throw line (79.2%).
\n\tTurnovers:\u00a0Memphis committed only nine turnovers and scored 12 points off USF’s miscues.
\n\tDefense:\u00a0The Tigers allowed South Florida to shoot 48.5 percent overall (32-of-66), including a 53.6-percent mark in the second half.
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\n\t\tMemphis also recorded three steals and five blocks.
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\n\tBench Production:\u00a0The Tigers’ bench scored 31 points, while the Bulls got 30 from their reserves.
\n\tRebounding:\u00a0USF outrebound Memphis, 40-36, but the Tigers and Bulls each had 14 on the offensive end.
\n\tBall Movement:\u00a0Memphis recorded 19 assists in the loss, led by McDaniel’s seven.
\n\tDug McDaniel<\/a> scored a team-high 25 points with seven assists and five rebounds in 38 minutes.
\n\tHe was 11-of-20 from the floor and scored 13 of his points in the second half.
\n\tIt’s his 21st game of the season with double digits and fifth game with 20-plus points.
\n\tZach Davis<\/a> had his best game in nearly three months with 17 points, a team-high eight rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.
\n\tHe finished 8-of-10 shooting and scored nine of his points after the break.
\n\tSincere Parker<\/a> added 14 points, seven rebounds and three dimes in 25 minutes off the bench.
\n\tHe led the Tigers with a 6-of-7 night at the stripe.
\n\tCurtis Givens III<\/a> chipped in 11 points, four dimes and three rebounds.
\n\tAaron Bradshaw<\/a> pulled down seven rebounds, six of which were on the offensive end, and blocked a team-high two shots.
\n\tQuante Berry<\/a> and Julius Thedford<\/a> each recorded seven points, while Thierno Sylla<\/a> added six. <\/p>\n

UP NEXT
\nThe Tigers close out the regular season with a Sunday road trip to Tulane for a 1 p.m. tip on ESPN+.<\/p>\n

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:

\nFor complete information on Memphis Tiger Men’s Basketball, visit\u00a0www.GoTigersGo.com<\/a>\u00a0and follow the team’s social media channels on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0

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