Memphis basketball is now 1-1 in the Dominican Republic.
After losing its first exhibition game to the Dominican Republic National Team on Wednesday, Memphis bounced back with a 105-98 victory over Trenes Del Este, a Dominican Republic Select Team, on Friday night.
The Tigers controlled most of the second half, leading by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter. Memphis ultimately blew that 82-69 advantage down the stretch, though, forcing overtime with the game tied at 92 apiece.
Memphis did go on to finish the game in overtime. But it still fought a hefty battle for the second straight time on its foreign trip. Memphis will play one more exhibition game on Sunday before returning home on Monday.
Like in Wednesday’s game, the Tigers were without several key pieces in Friday’s contest. Those include Caleb Mills, David Jones, Jayhlon Young, Mikey and DeAndre Williams (no relation).
Mills, who played and scored a team-high 18 points on Wednesday, is mildly injured per head coach Penny Hardaway. “We just kind of held him out for precautionary reasons,” Hardaway told The Commercial Appeal’s Jason Munz. Mills’ status for Sunday is currently unknown.
Young, despite making the trip, hasn’t played at all thus far. Sources tell Tiger Blueprint that Young’s results for a heart test won’t be ready in time for him to play on Sunday either. The NCAA recently urged caution with heart-related issues towards programs after USC’s Bronny James collapsed in practice last week because of a cardiac arrest.
Jones, who played for the Dominican Republic National Team on Wednesday, is waiting on his St. John’s credits and student visa to be submitted and approved before he can join Memphis. He hopes to be on campus later this month.
Mikey and DeAndre Williams’ statuses are both unclear as of now. Mikey Williams may never join the team due to his current legal situation. DeAndre Williams, on the other hand, is awaiting the NCAA’s decision on his waiver for an additional year of eligibility.
Takeaways for Memphis
Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton carried the Tigers offensively. He scored 27 points while shooting 58.8% from the field and 66.7% from three-point range. Walton’s prowess in both shot-creating and perimeter shooting were very much on display.
Carl Cherenfant continued his impressive run in this game, playing well on both ends while displaying incredible athleticism. Though he scored just 9 points, the freshman wing made multiple impact plays that led to a Memphis victory, including two posters in the second and third quarter respectively.
Both Jayden and Ashton Hardaway were incredibly efficient on Friday. Jayden scored 13 points while shooting 44.4% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Ashton—a 6-foot-7 freshman wing—scored 11 points while shooting 42.9% from the field and 50% from three-point range, including a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter that gave Memphis a 92-90 lead.
Louisiana transfer big Jordan Brown has had his struggles thus far, but he still put up good numbers on Friday. Brown recorded 14 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 6-12 overall. It should be noted that the 6-foot-11 center didn’t arrive to campus until last Saturday and has barely practiced with the team. Brown is in nothing close to game-shape right now, and needs time to integrate into Memphis’ system.
As for other notable performances, Alabama transfer point guard Jahvon Quinerly had 9 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds. Temple transfer forward Nick Jourdain had 12 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 55.6% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.
