Ottawa, Ont. – The Memphis Tigers continued to improve, showing signs of a team coming together with a dominant second‑half performance that saw them defeat the Ottawa Gee‑Gees 104–89 in a high‑scoring NCAA/CIS preseason affair at Montpetit Hall in the National Capital.
Like their first game against the Carleton Ravens, the Tigers found themselves the target of yet another three‑point barrage, as the Gee‑Gees nailed seven of eight triples in the first quarter and jumped out to an early 31–25 lead over the Tigers. Memphis shot 10‑16 (62.5 %) in that quarter, but still trailed by six points after the first ten minutes.
Ottawa’s back‑court duo, Mike L’African and Johnny Berhanemeskel, each knocked in nine points for their team. The Tigers got a strong start from Shaq Goodwin and Chris Hawkins with six early points.
Three‑point shooting kept coming in the second quarter as Ottawa cashed in on four straight triples and extended their lead to a game‑high 50–37 (13 points) with 3:53 remaining, forcing a Memphis timeout. The Tigers returned from the huddle and outscored the Gee‑Gees 10–3 to close out the half trailing 53–47.
Ottawa added five more triples in that quarter and shot an impressive 12‑of‑19 (63.2 %) from beyond the arc in the first half. Berhanemeskel finished the half with 19 points on 7‑of‑9 shooting, a perfect 4‑for‑4 from three, while L’African added 15 points on 5‑of‑9 triples. The Tigers earned eight points in that quarter from sophomore Nick King and shot 21‑35 (65.6 %) over the opening 20 minutes.
Memphis came out of the locker room focused and continued where they left off in the first half by completely dominating the Gee‑Gees in a decisive third quarter, during which the Tigers ripped off a 21‑5 run to grab a double‑digit lead at 68–56 with 3:38 remaining.
The Tigers limited Ottawa to just one of six shots from outside that quarter and pounded the ball inside, outscoring them 34–13 for an 81‑66 advantage after three quarters. Determined to keep their perfect start to the season, the Gee‑Gees got off to a quick start in the fourth, but despite Berhanemeskel’s 12‑point quarter that helped cut the lead to single digits, Ottawa had no answer for Memphis when they pounded the ball inside and on the glass.
“We attacked the paint, made free throws and hurt them on the glass. In the first half they were shooting, and I was like, ‘Does anybody miss in Canada?’” said Memphis head coach Joshua Pastner after the game.
One area where the Tigers have not struggled with three‑point shooting after going 2‑of‑9 in the loss to Carleton is that Memphis connected on only five of fifteen from beyond the arc. “We’re going to have to spend more time in the fall; this is an area that we’ve really been exposed in, and we’re going to have to work on making shots,” added Pastner.
Nick King (Memphis, Tenn./East) led five Memphis players with a team‑high 25 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Kuran Iverson contributed 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Shaq Goodwin finished with 16 points, five blocks and two blocked shots. “We’re progressing as a team. We’re a young team playing hard and crashing the glass. When we came to Canada, we knew these teams could shoot, but we didn’t know they could shoot this well. The coaches said we weren’t rebounding at half‑time and had to lock down on their best player,” said Goodwin.
“Coming into the third quarter again, we came together as a team in the locker room and established what we were going to do on defence and the game plan, then just went out there and executed,” added Goodwin after the game.
“Ahh man, great country. Great city, beautiful food. We can’t wait to see more of it. Everybody in Canada is very hospitable; you walk down the street and people speak to you, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ Have a casual conversation. It’s great coming from the U.S., where that’s very rare,” Goodwin said when asked to describe his time in Canada.
Ottawa was paced by fifth‑year senior guard Johnny Berhanemeskel’s 33 points on 12‑of‑15 shooting, including a perfect 5‑for‑5 from downtown. L’African was held in check in the second half and finished with 20 points, six assists and a team‑high four rebounds in 35 minutes; Caleb Agada chipped in with ten points, two rebounds and two assists.
“Today we got exposed on the post, on the glass, also turnovers and bad shots. Give all the credit to Memphis – their defence was extremely active at the start of the third quarter, and it gave us fits, and we crumbled under the pressure,” said Gee‑Gees head coach James Derouin in a post‑game interview.
“I’m disappointed because I thought we lost our composure, our poise. For a fourth‑ and fifth‑year veteran team, some of that was due to the opponent, but I think we came out selfish in the third quarter, didn’t take care of the little details like finding a body and boxing out. The end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter was the game right there,” Derouin continued.
Memphis finished the game shooting 64.1 % on 41‑of‑64 shots and was better from the foul line at 17‑of‑22 (77.3 %). The Gee‑Gees went 30‑of‑67 (43.3 %) for the game, including a poor 14‑of‑23 from the charity stripe. Rebounding gave the Tigers an edge with a 39‑to‑23 (+16) advantage.
The win gives Memphis (1–1) their first victory of the season and a taste of triumph over a Canadian opponent. The Tigers will continue their Canadian tour with a game against the McGill Redmen (0–1) in Montreal. The Gee‑Gees wrap up their NCAA schedule with an impressive 3–1 record, which includes wins over Indiana (109–104), Vermont (73–66) and Illinois‑Chicago (79–76).
