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Dozier, defense helps Memphis bounce back

Dec 18, 2008 - 3:35 AM MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Robert Dozier scored 15 points and 21st-ranked Memphis overcame a poor shooting performance to defeat Arkansas-Little Rock, 59-51, on Wednesday.

Shawn Taggart had 12 points with five rebounds and two blocks and Tyreke Evans added 12 and four assists for the Tigers (6-2), who shot 33 percent (15-of-45) from the field.

Memphis was coming off a 79-70 overtime loss to Georgetown on Saturday. The second loss of the season matched the Tigers' total from the last campaign.

Steven Moore finished with 16 points for the Trojans (7-3), who were held to a season-low in points en route to their third loss in five contests.

Memphis faced a 19-18 deficit before ending the first half on a 12-3 run. Dozier scored eight points on the burst as the Tigers took a 30-22 edge into the break.

After carrying the momentum into the second half, Memphis appeared to have the game well in hand when Taggart's jump shot extended the advantage to 45-28 with 14:16 left.

But the Tigers made just one field goal the rest of the way, allowing UALR to climb back into the contest. Curtis Jackson and Matt Mouzy hit a pair of 3-pointers to cap a 10-0 run, which cut the Trojans' deficit to 50-42 with 4:08 left in the game.

Luckily for Memphis, UALR was equally as poor from the floor. The Trojans, who also made 33 percent (19-of-57) of their shots, made just one bucket the rest of the way.

The Tigers, who went 3-of-20 from the arc, did an good job of getting to the free-throw line. They went 26-of-40 from the charity stripe.