In a game highly contested for the first 34 minutes, the Memphis Tigers gave the top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (5-0) everything they could handle, but starts 1-3 for the first time since the 2000-01 season in an 80-71 loss in the semifinals of the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas on Thursday night.
Memphis’ 1-3 start in 2000-01 also coincided with then-head coach John Calipari’s first season on the bench.
Five of C.J. Cox’s 18 points came in the run late in the second half to propel the Boilermakers to victory.
Braden Smith had an evening to forget from the field with a season-low five points, on 2-of-14 shooting, but picked up the slack as the senior guard to a season-high with 11 assists.
Fletcher Loyer provided another vital outlet for Purdue’s offense with a game-high 20 points, highlighted by four three-point makes.
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with his third double-double in as many games this season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but fouled out with 2:15 left in regulation.
Memphis started strong as it converted five of its first seven field goal attempts to jump ahead of Purdue, 13-4 in the early stages of the first half. The Boilermakers managed to get hot not long after as a 13-2 run put them ahead of the Tigers.
Both teams exchanged the lead on multiple occasions before Smith’s three-point make as time expired put Purdue ahead 36-35 after 20 minutes of play.
Dug McDaniel led Memphis with a team-high 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in defeat, while Sincere Parker and Tariq Ingraham added 10 points each off the bench.
Looking Ahead:
The Boilermakers play the winner of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the No. 15 Texas Tech Raiders in the championship game on Nov. 21, while the Tigers play the loser of the Demon Deacons and Red Raiders in the third-place game.