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Memphis cruises past LeMoyne-Owen

Jan 18, 2014 - 10:56 PM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Nick King had 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting as 17th-ranked Memphis got back on track at home by posting a 101-78 win over Division II LeMoyne-Owen.

King was one of five players to score in double figures for the Tigers (13-4), which shot 58.5 percent. Austin Nichols made all six of his shots to match Geron Johnson with 12 points for Memphis, which avoided losing three straight at FedExForum. The Tigers dropped their first two home games in American Athletic Conference play to Cincinnati and Connecticut.

"I thought LeMoyne-Owen is a good team and I have a lot of respect for them and their coach," said Memphis head coach Josh Pastner. "I was proud of the way we bounced back after the loss to Connecticut."

Johnson added nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Demba Konate had 17 points to pace the Magicians (4-10), who are a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"We like playing a top-tier team like Memphis to see how we compete and execute in the things we work on in practice," said LeMoyne-Owen head coach William Anderson.

The Magicians, down eight early, tied the game for the second time at 12-12 on Jerry Hampton's jumper.

Memphis then grabbed its first double-digit lead when a Damien Wilson layup made it 26-16, but LeMoyne-Owen continued to hang around as a Lasana Konate bucket pulled the visitors within 29-23 with about six minutes remaining.

The Tigers, however, seized firm control by going on a 20-3 run, and they led 52-33 after Johnson nailed a 3-pointer prior to the halftime buzzer.

Memphis' advantage never dipped below 19 points in the second half.

Game Notes

The Tigers played a Division II program during the regular season for the first time since beating Christian Brothers 86-54 on Nov. 28, 2001 ... Kuran Iverson netted 11 points and Shaq Goodwin finished with 10 points, eight boards and three blocks for Memphis ... The Tigers' Joe Jackson scored only four points. He had reached double figures in 14 straight games ... The Tigers recorded 29 assists on 38 made field goals.