San Antonio, TX – The Memphis Tigers are heading into the AAC tournament as the top seed after securing a hard-fought 75-70 victory over UTSA at the Convocation Center on Tuesday night. With the win, No. 16 Memphis claimed a share of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title, marking the program’s first in 12 years.
Despite holding a 13-point lead in the second half, the Tigers found themselves in a battle down the stretch as the Roadrunners fought back to make it a one-possession game in the final minutes. However, Memphis stood firm, closing out the game to ensure the milestone victory.
While the Tigers have already secured part of the AAC championship, head coach Penny Hardaway emphasized that their work is far from over. Quoting the legendary Kobe Bryant, Hardaway echoed, “The job’s not done.”
“Our goals from the start were to improve on last season, win the regular-season title, capture the conference tournament championship, and ultimately make a deep run in the NCAA tournament,” Hardaway said.
With this win, Hardaway becomes just the fifth coach in Memphis history to guide the Tigers to a regular-season conference championship.
Back-and-Forth Battle:
The Roadrunners showed their resilience early, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage before Memphis responded. UTSA managed to close the gap to just two points at 31-29, but a key three-pointer from Nicholas Jourdain, who finished with 13 points, helped the Tigers regain momentum.
Jonnivius Smith kept UTSA competitive in the first half, hitting two clutch three-pointers and tallying 10 points by halftime. Meanwhile, Memphis forward Dain Dainja made his presence felt inside, leading the Tigers with 10 points and five rebounds in the first half. At the break, Memphis held a 41-36 lead.
UTSA’s home crowd brought energy, roaring in support of the Roadrunners as they cut Memphis’ second-half lead from 13 down to just two on multiple occasions. Led by Primo Spears, Smith, Marcus Millender, and Tai’Reon Joseph, UTSA remained within striking distance late in the game.
Final Push:
Memphis appeared to take control with an 8-0 run punctuated by rim-rattling dunks from Dainja. But the Roadrunners refused to fold, twice cutting the deficit to two points in the final minutes—first at 6:33 and again at 3:23 after a Millender free throw made it 69-67.
However, offensive struggles down the stretch proved costly. Aside from a last-second three-pointer by Millender, neither team converted another field goal for the remainder of the game.
UTSA had a golden opportunity to take the lead with 12 seconds left, but Spears’ deep three-point attempt rimmed out. Memphis’ PJ Haggerty secured the rebound, was fouled, and calmly sank six free throws in the final 10 seconds to seal the Tigers’ victory.
Dainja led Memphis with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Haggerty contributed 18 points and six boards.
For UTSA, four players reached double figures. Smith posted 18 points and seven rebounds, Spears added 14 points, Joseph chipped in 12, and Christian Tucker rounded out the group with 10 points.
Looking Ahead:
Memphis improved to 25-5 overall and 15-2 in AAC play. Hardaway, now in his seventh season at the helm, has positioned the Tigers for a strong postseason run.
UTSA (11-18, 5-12 AAC) will wrap up the regular season with a road matchup against Charlotte on Sunday, March 9, before heading to Fort Worth for the conference tournament beginning March 12.
Meanwhile, Memphis will host South Florida on Friday for Senior Night. A victory would give the Tigers sole possession of the AAC regular-season title.
