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Memphis cruises past Lipscomb

Dec 31, 2010 - 4:42 AM Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Wesley Witherspoon scored a game-best 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as 21st-ranked Memphis cruised past Lipscomb, 88-70, at FedExForum.

Will Barton provided 15 points, six boards and five assists for the Tigers (10-2), who bounced back from their 86-69 loss to Georgetown on December 23.

"I was sick to my stomach for about three days after Georgetown," said Memphis head coach Josh Pastner. "Losing stinks. Losing is no fun. Winning is hard, but it's fun. For us to get back on the floor and have a good game was important."

Joe Jackson chipped in 13 points and eight assists, while Antonio Barton provided 12 points for the victors.

Adnan Hodzic had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Bison (7-4), who have lost two straight since a five-game win streak. Josh Slater and Brandon Brown had 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Lipscomb held a 6-3 lead before Memphis went on a 14-3 run, which Barton and Witherspoon fueled with seven points each.

Memphis held a double-digit edge briefly, but three consecutive buckets had Lipscomb within 29-22 with 6:55 left. The Bison were within three with two minutes left, but the Tigers scored the final seven points of the half to make it a 42-32 game at the break.

Memphis kept its distance in the second half and stretched the lead to 64-53 on a Will Coleman jumper with 12:06 to play. The bucket was part of a 10-0 run that eventually put the Tigers up by 16, and they led by double digits the rest of the way.

Game Notes

The programs hadn't met since the 1930s; Lipscomb held a 4-1 edge in the series coming into the game...Memphis shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from the three-point arc, while Lipscomb struggled by shooting 19 percent (4-of-21) from long distance...The Tigers shot 54 percent overall.