Struggles a thing of the past for Memphis
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Memphis guard Antonio Anderson sent a shock wave through an enormous crowd of 26,060 at the Alamodome here Thursday night, making two free throws with just 3.1 seconds to play as the second-seeded Tigers defeated third-seeded local favorite Texas A&M, 65-64, to advance to the NCAA South Region final.
Anderson, a 6-6 sophomore from Lynn, Mass., got his shot at glory after the Tigers (33-3) missed three straight shots at a game-winner. Guard Andre Allen missed a three-pointer with 11 seconds left, Jeremy Hunt missed a baseline jumper and center Robert Dozier missed another follow before Anderson grabbed the third offensive rebound of the sequence and was fouled on the putback by Aggies All-American guard Acie Law.
Anderson, a 64 percent foul shooter, had missed three of his first four free throw attempts. But he calmly made both foul shots to stun the Aggies, who had more than 20,000 of their fans at the arena.
A&M guard Dominique Kirk missed a desperation halfcourt shot as time ran out, and the Aggies’ dream of reaching their first Final Four was over.
“You live for moments like this,” Anderson said. “I knew our team was tired, the other team was tired and I said, ‘Let’s just get this game over with.’ “
It was sweet victory for the Tigers, who are ranked 324th in foul shooting among the nation’s 336 Division I teams. Things got so bad that Memphis coach John Calipari told his team to stop shooting free throws in practice and just visualize making them.
The Tigers shot 14-for-21 from the line against the Aggies in loud, hostile surroundings. “I looked up before the game and there was a patch of blue and a sea of maroon,” Anderson said. “I was like, ‘Whoa.’ “
The Tigers, who are 15-3 away from home this season, never let the crowd affect their play. “We’ve been playing with a chip on our shoulder all year,” sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. “We’ve been hearing from everybody how bad our conference (Conference USA) is and how it’s been a cakewalk for us. But we’re playing in the NCAA Tournament now and we’re playing the elite of the elite and we’re still winning.”
Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers’ leading scorer who was limited in practice after suffering a severe ankle sprain in the Tigers’ second-round victory over Nevada on Saturday, showed no lingering effects from the injury, scoring 15 points and punctuating matters when he went baseline and rose up for a slam dunk early in the first half.
Hunt came off the bench to shoot 6-for-12 and lead Memphis with 19 points. Center Antanas Kavaliauskas scored 17 points and forward Joseph Jones added 14 for A&M, which pounded the ball inside for 40 points and outrebounded Memphis 36-31.
Law added 13 for the Aggies (27-7), but shot just 6-for-17 and missed a chance to put the game away. With the Aggies leading 64-63, Law broke loose for a breakaway layup off an inbounds pass, but missed it when Anderson, running stride for stride with him, cut him off and the ball rimmed out, giving Memphis possession with 47 seconds to play. Hunt missed a three-pointer with 27.8 seconds left, but Anderson grabbed the rebound, setting the drama in motion.
“Last year, when we were a No. 1 seed, we were supposed to be the first No. 1 to lose,” Hunt said. “We were supposed to lose to Oral Roberts. But we made it to the Final Eight. This year, the same thing. But we’re still playing.”
See more at www.thestate.com
