Dainja and Haggerty lead No. 22 Memphis past Florida Atlantic 84-65
Memphis guard PJ Carter (7) celebrates with guard PJ Haggerty (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida Atlantic, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. Credit: AP/Nikki Boertman
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dain Dainja had 22 points and 11 rebounds, PJ Haggerty also scored 22 and No. 22 Memphis sprinted past Florida Atlantic in the second half of an 84-65 victory Sunday.
Colby Rogers added 15 points for first-place Memphis (22-5, 12-2 American Athletic Conference), which has won nine of 10.
Tre Carroll led the Owls (15-12, 8-6) with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Kaleb Glenn scored 15. Florida Atlantic lost its second straight after a five-game winning streak. Leland Walker finished with 14 points.
Memphis defeated Florida Atlantic 90-62 in the conference opener Jan. 2. The Tigers had trouble gaining traction early on Sunday, but a rally in the first half got them out of a hole and into a lead.
Takeaways
Florida Atlantic: The Owls enjoyed a five-game winning streak during the early part of this month before a loss to Wichita State last week. Awful free-throw shooting and a couple of Memphis runs spelled defeat this time.
Memphis: The Tigers needed a win after an overtime loss at Wichita State a week ago dropped them eight spots to No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll.
Key moment
Florida Atlantic had a lead in the first half before Memphis went on a 14-0 run keyed by offensive rebounding. A 12-0 Tigers spurt early in the second half put the game out of reach.
Memphis forward Dain Dainja, center, looks to shoot while defended by Florida Atlantic guard Leland Walker (2) and forward Kaleb Glenn, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. Credit: AP/Nikki Boertman
Key stat
Florida Atlantic entered shooting 71% at the free-throw line this season, but went 5 for 18 (28%) in this one.
Up next
Both teams play at home Wednesday. Florida Atlantic faces North Texas, and Memphis hosts Rice.
