Memphis Basketball started their trip out West with a weird Thursday night matchup with the Dons of San Francisco. In front of an empty crowd at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the Tigers started the matchup with the Dons a bit jet-lagged, falling behind early as Memphis experienced an NCAA Tournament-caliber team. They finished the trip in Maui with a monumental matchup with the UConn Huskies on Monday afternoon.

Coming into the matchup with the Dons, Memphis would bring an undefeated 3-0 record to the ultimate test with a minimal four-game West Coast road swing against four NCAA Tournament caliber teams. Coach Penny Hardaway knew his team needed the early season test to be battled test for Tournament play in March. The message through three games has been simple coming into the season: prepare for March. These four West Coast games add to the mix for the Tigers as they faced North Carolina and Alabama in the preseason and three solid programs to start the regular season.

Despite a nine-point halftime deficit, the second half belonged to the Tigers as they raced out to a 45-39 lead over the Dons at the under-12 media timeout, taking the life out of the limited San Francisco fans in attendance at the Chase Center. During that run, was an 8-0 run throughout 1:09, going 4-4 from the field during that run. Despite the ref’s best shot at controlling the game and keeping the Dons within striking distance, Memphis never wavered. At the under-8 media timeout, Memphis held on for dear life to a 50-46 lead over the Dons. With 4:37 remaining, Coach Penny Hardaway called a timeout as the Dons cut it to 56-54. At the game’s final media timeout with 3:44 on the clock, Memphis held on to a 56-54 lead despite a string of lousy shot selections from the prior timeout from Coach Hardaway. PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter iced the game at the line for the Tigers with three free throws before Dain Dainja sealed it with a pair for the Tigers.

Thursday night was the Dain Dainja show. He led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points. PJ Haggerty finished at 13, while Tyrese Hunter closed the night at 11.

Memphis will now travel to the Maui Invitational to play three games. They will open with the UConn Huskies on Monday afternoon.

Photo Credits: Memphis Basketball on X