PJ Haggerty had 25 points, six rebounds and five assists as the Memphis Tigers rallied past the visiting Missouri Tigers 83-75 in each team’s season opener on Monday.
Memphis used pressure defense to bounce back after trailing by 13 points early in the second half. Tyrese Hunter and Moussa Cisse finished with 14 points while Colby Rogers added 10. Cisse chipped in seven rebounds.
Anthony Robinson II led Missouri with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Tamar Bates and Trent Pierce scored 13 points apiece and Aidan Shaw added 11.
Free-throw shooting was a key factor. Memphis made 23-of-29 from the line while Missouri made 16-of-25.
Memphis struggled offensively early, missing 10-of-11 shots to start the game. Haggerty missed his first four shots, including two from beyond the arc.
Shaw scored on a driving basket, a 3-point jumper and slam dunk as Missouri surged ahead 23-16 with 7:53 left in the first half.
Rogers hit a 3-pointer for Memphis to briefly stem the tide, but Missouri used zone defenses and transition offense to surge to a 38-25 lead. Pierce and Robinson triggered that run with 3-pointers.
Hunter stabilized Memphis with a step-back 3-pointer, then he hit two free throws with five seconds left in the half cut the deficit to 42-32.
Memphis missed 21 of 32 shots in the first half and turned the ball over eight times, but it stayed in the game with 10 offensive rebounds.
Missouri pushed its lead to 49-36 early in the second half on Caleb Grill’s runout dunk, but Memphis answered with an 11-4 run behind its press defense to cut the margin 53-47.
Memphis kept pressing and forcing turnovers while pushing to a 58-55 lead. Hunter scored five straight points to put Memphis up for the first time since midway through the first half.
Haggerty scored seven unanswered points as Memphis increased its lead to 67-59 and seized control for good with 5:30 left.