• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Douglas-Roberts helps Memphis win battle of unbeatens

Dec 22, 2007 - 8:15 PM MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Chris Douglas-Roberts made sure Memphis would be the team to remain unbeaten.

Douglas-Roberts scored 24 points as second-ranked Memphis pulled away for an 85-71 victory over No. 4 Georgetown on Saturday.

Limited to a total of nine points in the last two games, Douglas-Roberts responded to those struggles with a huge afternoon, helping the Tigers (10-0) make a statement and run their home winning streak to 37 games.

"I'm proud of Chris (Douglas-Roberts) bouncing back," Memphis coach John Calipari said.

Douglas-Roberts threw down a dunk and drained a 3-pointer in an early burst to start the second half, allowing the Tigers to take control of what was a tight and fast-paced game.

Joey Dorsey collected a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds while outplaying Hoyas big man Roy Hibbert, who was ineffective virtually the entire way.

Sparked by Dorsey and the active Robert Dozier, the Tigers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Hoyas by a lopsided 43-30. Dozier had 19 points and six rebounds.

While the Tigers controlled the boards, they also received an efficient performance in the backcourt from freshman Derrick Rose, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half.

"We won it with defense. We executed offensively the best we executed all year," Calipari said.

Facing a ranked opponent for the first time this season, the Hoyas (8-1) failed in their bid to start 9-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.

"Stating the obvious, we have a long way to go," Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. "I think on both ends of the floor to be honest. At the end of the day, I think our offense closed down a little bit and our offense led to a lot of air baskets. We have a lot of good teams (on our schedule) and this team can improve if they need to and will improve."

Hibbert was a major reason why the Hoyas endured their first loss. The 7-2 senior never adapted to the speed of the game, picked up two quick fouls and finished with just six points and six rebounds.

In a charged atmosphere between two national powers, the Hoyas were the better team for much of the first half, leading by as many as eight points.

However, the Tigers got rolling behind Douglas-Roberts and Rose, who combined for 16 points in an 18-6 surge to close the half, allowing Memphis to grab a 43-40 advantage at the break.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Calipari was whistled for a technical foul, a move that seemed to spark his team.

Despite the Tigers missing 12 of their first 13 shots in the second half, the Hoyas were unable to take advantage, managing their last lead at 46-45 with under 16 minutes remaining.

Douglas-Roberts sank two jumpers around a 3-pointer in a 13-4 surge, giving Memphis a 60-52 advantage with under nine minutes remaining. Moments later, the junior hit two free throws and another jumper as the lead ballooned to double digits and stayed there the rest of the way.

"He's such a good player," Thompson said. "You prepare for him to have a game like he did tonight. He can score a lot of different ways. He got into a rhythm today. Guys like that when they get into a rhythm, there's not much you can do. You just have to hold back and hope he misses. He got into his rhythm and then everyone else is still scoring."

Freshman Austin Freeman scored 14 points, DaJuan Summers 13 and Patrick Ewing Jr. 10 for the Hoyas, who shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) and went just 3-of-14 from the arc.