Thursday, December 30, 2004

Memphis (7-6) built the lead in the first half and continued to push the advantage after the break, as coach John Calipari won his 100th game at Memphis.

The rout turned the tide for the Tigers, who entered the game after a pair of losses at home. Compared to previous defeats to Providence and Louisiana Tech, Memphis shot better, eventually building the lead to as many as 33. The Tigers held a lead of at least 20 points, except for one possession, during the final 16 minutes.

Darius Washington added 17 for Memphis, and, along with Banks, had six assists.

Junior guard Tim Smith (Newport News, Va.) led the Buccaneers (4-7) with 18 points, while freshman forward Andrew Reed (Port Richey, Fla.) scored 10. East Tennessee State suffered from poor shooting, hitting only 35 percent for the game. Smith and fellow guard Travis Strong (Memphis, Tenn.) were a combined 9-of-31 for the night, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range.

Memphis connected on 53 percent of its shots from the field and was 11-of-21 from long range.

Memphis used 14 points from Washington in the first half to take a 39-25 lead at the break. The point guard hit all five of his shots from the field, including three from outside the arc.

Memphis led by as many as 18 in the half, thanks primarily to a 10-0 run midway through the period as East Tennessee State went six minutes without scoring. The Buccaneers failed to cut the Tiger advantage under double digits in the final nine minutes of the half.

By the time Memphis opened the second half with an 18-6 run, building the advantage to 57-31, the Tigers were ready to coast home.

The Bucs return to action on Jan. 5 as they travel to Boone, N.C. to face SoCon rival Appalachian State at 7:00 p.m.