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Rose, Dozier help Memphis stay perfect

Jan 13, 2008 - 4:59 AM HUNTINGTON, West Virginia (Ticker) -- Unlike two other teams earlier in the day, Memphis' second-half defense made sure it would stay unbeaten.

Freshman Derrick Rose had 19 points and Robert Dozier added 16 and 12 rebounds as second-ranked Memphis surged past Marshall, 68-45, in a Conference USA matchup on Saturday.

It was the 25th consecutive conference win for the Tigers, who remained one of three teams in Division I without a loss after fourth-ranked Washington State and No. 12 Vanderbilt suffered defeats earlier in the day.

"That was one of the most physical teams we've played," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "It's a good thing because every team we play, they have to come after us that way. We need to have lessons and figure out that you have to play through bumps and pushes."

Memphis (15-0, 2-0 C-USA) had scored at least 90 points in its previous three games but used its defense in holding Marshall to 24 percent shooting (7-of-29) in the second half to help pull away.

The Tigers took control early, using a 20-6 spurt to take a 28-13 advantage with 8:17 left in the first half. Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts combined for 13 points during the stretch.

But the Thundering Herd hung in, ending the first half on a 14-6 run to close within 34-27 at the half, keeping the crowd in it.

"I was just excited when I walked in the building and I saw that atmosphere," Calipari said. "I looked at my team and I said, 'Isn't this what you want, to have these kinds of places with these kind of fans.'"

However, the Tigers outscored the Thundering Herd, 13-3, to start the second half, taking a 47-30 lead and staying in control for the rest of the contest.

Memphis led by double digits for the final 17 minutes and Marshall got only as close as 15 with 5:19 remaining.

"We did a good job in the first half," Marshall coach Donnie Jones said. "At halftime we talked about the things we needed to do. To their credit, they wore us out physically. Our guys got tired. We struggle to score against a big, athletic team."

Dorsey had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers, who outrebounded the Thundering Herd, 44-33, en route to winning their 34th straight regular-season contest.

Memphis also outscored Marshall in the paint, 40-16, and shot 45 percent (28-of-62) for the game.

Mark Dorris and Markel Humphrey each had 12 points to lead Marshall (9-5, 1-1), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. It was also the fifth straight loss for the Thundering Herd against the Tigers.

"They (Memphis) played great defensively and offensively," Humphrey said. "They've got great one-on-one players, which are hard to stop. All around they're just a great team."