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Memphis cruises past IUPUI 87-67

Dec 28, 2009 - 8:27 PM MEMPHIS, Tenn.(AP) -- Elliot Williams scored 27 points and Pierre Henderson-Niles added 15 as Memphis cruised to an 87-67 victory over Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Monday.

Williams hit five of six 3-point attempts and finished 8-of-11 from the field to lead the Tigers (9-2). IUPUI is 9-5.

Memphis came into the game hitting 34 percent from beyond the arc and went 11-of-19 on 3-pointers. Wesley Witherspoon added 11 points for the Tigers.

Leroy Nobles led IUPUI with 18 points and Alex Young chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Memphis led by as many as 23 midway through the second half, and the Jaguars never cut the advantage under double digits after halftime.

The Jaguars relied on a zone defense to force the Tigers to the perimeter. That gave Henderson-Niles 11 quick points, but IUPUI remained close.

The teams exchanged leads through the first eight minutes. The Jaguars pressure kept the Tigers offense swinging the ball around the outside.

Memphis broke the game open midway through the first half with effective 3-point shooting over the zone. The Tigers scored 11 unanswered points, and eventually extended the lead to 40-21, connecting on four straight 3-point shots during the run.

The Jaguars turned up the pressure late in the half, forcing Memphis to miss seven of its last eight shots and commit four turnovers in the final seven minutes before the break. That allowed IUPUI to chip away at the Memphis advantage.

The Tigers used the 3-point shooting to build a 47-34 halftime lead. Williams hit four of his five shots in the half, including three from outside the arc for 14 points, while Henderson-Niles had his 11.

Memphis shot 51.6 percent for the game (33 of 64), while the Jaguars shot 39.6 percent (19-of-48).