PJ Haggerty scores 27 to lead No. 21 Memphis over North Texas 68-64

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — PJ Haggerty scored 27 points to lead No. 21 Memphis over a stubborn North Texas 68-64 on Sunday night.

Haggerty was 11 of 14 from the field, including hitting his first seven shots in the game. Dain Dainja finished with 14 points, missing only one of his six shots as Memphis (12-3, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) won for the fifth time in its last six games.

Brenen Lorient led the Mean Green (10-4, 1-1) with 18 points, while Moulaye Sissoko added 17 points and eight rebounds, hitting 7 of 8 shots. North Texas saw an end to its four game winning streak.

The game was close throughout with no team leading by more than seven points. There were four ties and six lead changes. The Memphis press finally made a difference in key situations. That led to 16 turnovers for North Texas.

Takeaways

North Texas: The Mean Green were looking for their first road win over a ranked team since Feb. 27, 1971. Overall, North Texas is 6-101 against AP Top 25 opponents.

Memphis: After moving back into the rankings last week, Memphis opened conference play with a dominant 90-62 win over Florida Atlantic. Memphis was in trouble throughout the game as it couldn't build a substantial lead.

Key moment

With 2:15 remaining and the shot clock running down, Haggerty hoisted a long, arching desperation shot from about 30 feet. The ball slid through the net, giving Memphis a 64-58 lead.

Key stat

The Mean Green benefitted from dominating the boards. North Texas had 30 rebounds, compared to 21 for Memphis, but that included 12 offensive rebounds.

Up next

North Texas hosts Rice on Wednesday night. Memphis hosts East Carolina on Saturday night.

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Clay Bailey, The Associated Press