Memphis basketball lost an exhibition game to the Dominican Republic National Team tonight 91-84.
This was the first of three exhibition contests Memphis will play throughout its trip in the Dominican Republic. Its next two games will be on Friday and Sunday against a Dominican Select team.
The Tigers fought back from multiple 20-point deficits to cut it to a three-point game in the fourth quarter. A 7-3 run from the Dominican Republic, however, put an end to Memphis’ hopes of an upset win.
Remember that this is a Dominican Republic team that recently qualified for the FIBA World Cup. It also consists of multiple professional players, including former Tiger Lester Quinones, Victor Liz, Jean Montero and Angel Delgado.
Memphis had 11 of its players in this game, including Jahvon Quinerly, Caleb Mills and Jordan Brown. Notable absentees include Mikey and DeAndre Williams. Mikey Williams may never join the team because of his legal situation, while DeAndre Williams is awaiting the NCAA’s decision on his waiver for an additional year of eligibility.
Jayhlon Young also didn’t play despite making the trip. Sources tell Tiger Blueprint that he wasn’t cleared by Memphis’ medical staff. The NCAA recently urged caution towards programs after USC’s Bronny James collapsed during a practice last week because of a cardiac arrest.
David Jones played, but for the Dominican Republic. He and Quinones were major standouts for the Dominican Republic tonight. Quinones, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, was probably the best player on the floor for either team. He had 30 points.
Jones will likely join Memphis in the coming weeks.
What Memphis Did Tonight
Quinerly, Mills and Brown were probably Memphis’ biggest standouts in tonight’s game.
Despite their lack of experience playing together, Quinerly and Brown showed signs of being a lethal pick-and-role duo come November. Quinerly scored 13 points and Brown had 10. Quinerly also recorded 7 assists.
Mills, meanwhile, had a fantastic second half while consistently finishing at the rim and scored a team-high 18 points. He also had 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Freshman Carl Cherenfant also had a good night, making an impact on both ends of the court. JJ Taylor, another freshman, played better than expected defensively but had his struggles offensively. Cherenfant had 10 points tonight.
Nick Jourdain, a transfer big from Temple, struggled for most of the night but showed proficiency from three-point range late in the game. Jourdain finished with 10 points. Wichita State transfer wing Jaykwon Walton scored 11 points.
Overall, Memphis had a promising showing despite the loss.
