NASHVILLE — Memphis basketball fiery start to this season took a cold turn Tuesday night.
The Tigers (2-1) fell to No. 22 Vanderbilt 105-81 inside Memorial Gymnasium. This marked Memphis’ second outing against an Associated Press (AP) Top 25 opponent in three games. Penny Hardaway’s club will get a third when it hosts archrival Louisville, ranked No. 10 in the AP poll, on Sunday (noon, ESPN).
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Memphis shot 43% from the field and 21% (4-of-19) on 3-pointers. It also tallied 14 points off 9 forced turnovers, 12 offensive rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals. The Tigers were without both star center Nemanja Popović (withholding period) and freshman forward Fred Smith Jr. (knee) for a third straight outing.
Mark Byington’s team (3-0) shot 57% overall and 47% (13-of-30) from 3-point range. It additionally outrebounded Memphis 44-29 while logging 20 assists, 18 second-chance points off 12 offensive boards, 6 forced turnovers, 6 blocks and 4 steals. The Commodores led the Tigers for 34 minutes and 47 seconds.
Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ loss to its in-state foe.
Almodovar exited the game in the midst of a scary, silencing sight in the second half.
The 6-foot-3 guard, known for his highlight dunks, went up for another monster jam with 10:27 left to play. But after he slammed the ball in with two hands, he lost his grip on the rim a bit too soon and fell hard on the back of his head.
Alomodovar laid still on the floor for several minutes before eventually being helped up to a resounding ovation from both Memphis and Vanderbilt fans. He later returned to the Memphis bench after spending some time in the locker room, but never went back into the game. He led Memphis with 21 points, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block.
Reid, who entered Tuesday’s game as the nation’s second-leading scorer, collapsed in a lot of pain just a minute and 26 seconds into the contest.
The 5-foot-10 guard tweaked his left ankle by stepping on a Vanderbilt defender’s foot in transition, but eventually hobbled over to the Memphis bench under his own power after lying on the floor for several minutes.
Reid never retreated to the locker room and ultimately returned to the game following the first media timeout. He finished with 11 points and 2 assists in 30 minutes.
Memphis got away with poor perimeter defense against VCU last Saturday, but had no such luck at Vanderbilt.
The Tigers allowed the Commodores to shoot 8-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half, including a buzzer beater from T.O. Barrett to end the period. Vandy then drilled five of its first eight triples to start the second half, and eventually led Memphis by as many as 25 points.
Ace Glass led the Commodores with 23 points while shooting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Barrett, Sebastian Williams-Adams, Berke Büyüktuncel and Bangot Dak, meanwhile, hit two 3-pointers apiece.
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