Mar 9, 2007, 5:25 GMT
Memphis, TN - Doneal Mack and Jeremy Hunt both poured in 19 points to lead top-seeded Memphis to a 92-71 rout of Marshall in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament at FedExForum.
Joey Dorsey scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the fifth-ranked Tigers (28-3), who hold the nation's longest winning streak at 20 games. Chris Douglas-Roberts chipped in 11 points, while Robert Dozier added 10 with seven boards in the win.
'I really liked our first half and our energy and our extra passing,' Tigers coach John Calipari said. 'We were up 20 at half, but I have to give them credit. Marshall did not go away. You have to understand, if they did not turn the ball over in the first half, it would have been a four or five point game.'
Memphis will play Tulane in the semifinals on Friday.
Mark Dorris netted 21 points for the Thundering Herd (13-19), who committed 22 turnovers in the contest. Markel Humphrey posted 14 points in defeat.
'They're a super team, and they played hard,' Marshall coach Ron Jirsa said. 'They forced us into turnovers early. The points off turnover were the big key. They're just a super team, and they're going to go a long way.'
After Tre Whitted's three-pointer cut Marshall's deficit to three midway through the first half, Memphis broke the game open with a 30-5 burst -- capped by Dozier's tip-in -- for a 52-24 advantage with 1:40 left.
Mack hit three consecutive treys during the run and finished with 16 points in the frame as the Tigers led 52-31 at the break.
It was much of the same in the second as Memphis stayed on top the entire half. The Thundering Herd could only get as close as 13 on a Humphrey triple with just under 16 minutes to play.
Moments later, Dorsey drained a pair from the line, giving the Tigers a 21- point cushion as they cruised the rest of the way.
Game Notes
Memphis finished 50 percent shooting from the field...Marshall shot 44 percent in the game...The Tigers outrebounded the Thundering Herd, 35-29...Memphis holds a 4-1 lead over Marshall in the all-time series.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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