• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Memphis' hot shooting sinks Houston

Jan 12, 2007 - 7:24 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Memphis wasn't able to replicate the brilliant shooting performance from its last game. Instead, the Tigers were even better.

Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 16 points and the 19th-ranked Tigers shot the lights out again in a 79-69 victory over Houston in Conference USA play.

Coming off an 88-55 thrashing of Cincinnati seven days earlier in which it shot 60 percent, Memphis finished 30-of-48 (62.5 percent) from the floor and hit 10-of-15 3-pointers against the Cougars to win their fourth straight game.

Jeremy Hunt scored 14 points, including three from the arc, while Robert Dozier added 12 and freshman Doneal Mack 11 for the Tigers (12-3, 2-0 C-USA). Memphis' top four scorers in the game combined to hit 19-of-26 shots.

Memphis gave an indication of what was to come by hitting six straight shots to assume a 14-5 lead, but Rob McKiver scored 11 points - including three 3-pointers - in a 3:13 span to get Houston within 29-26 with just under six minutes to go. He finished the opening 20 minutes with 17 points, going 5-of-7 from the arc.

Just as it seemed the Cougars had seized the momentum, Antonio Anderson scored six points in a 10-0 spurt as the Tigers built a 39-26 lead with 4:26 left in the first half and never let Houston (5-8, 0-1) get the advantage under nine thereafter.

McKiver nailed a 3-pointer to close the first half and another to open the second and Jahmar Thorpe buried a jumper to close the deficit to 47-38.

Again, the Tigers turned to their long-range shooting to repel the Cougars. Andre Allen, Douglas-Roberts and Hunt all hit 3-pointers to restore the margin to 59-44 with 14 1/2 minutes left.

The lead stayed in that range until McKiver scored the last five points in the closing minute to make the final margin respectable.

McKiver hit seven 3-pointers en route to scoring 27 points for the Cougars, who absorbed their fifth straight defeat despite shooting 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half.

Thorpe finished with 14 points for Houston, including three straight baskets in the second half just minutes after he had hobbled off the court with a twisted ankle.