No. 19 Memphis extends winning streak to 4 games with 74-70 victory over East Carolina

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — PJ Haggerty scored eight of his 25 points in the final 2:34 and No. 19 Memphis held off East Carolina 74-70 on Saturday.

Haggerty shot 7 for 16 from the field and was perfect on 10 free throws, including both ends of a 1-and-1 with 9.7 seconds left to preserve the victory.

Tyrese Hunter added 14 points and Dain Dainja scored 10 as Memphis (13-3, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) won its fourth straight.

C.J. Walker had nine of his 23 points down the stretch as East Carolina tried to overtake Memphis. RJ Felton added 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Memphis appeared to have control of the game in the first half after a 16-0 run, but East Carolina (9-8, 1-3) battled back in the second half but never did take the lead.

Takeaways

East Carolina: The Pirates rallied and managed to tie the game in the final minutes. ECU is 0-57 in road against ranked opponents.

Memphis: The Tigers failed to hold double-digit leads in both halves, and East Carolina tied the game in the final 1:11. But, Memphis was able to hold on.

Key moment

The game was tied at 68 after Walker converted a three-point play. But, a pair of free throws by Haggerty and a drive by Hunter put Memphis ahead for good.

Key stat

Most of the stats were even. Both teams shot poorly from 3-point range — East Carolina converting 25% (5 for 20) and Memphis 26% (6 for 23).

Up next

East Carolina entertains North Texas on Tuesday night. Memphis travels to Temple on Thursday night.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball