Michigan
3-2,0-0Big Ten
Memphis
4-0,0-0AAC
Michigan Comeback Effort Falls Short in Loss to Memphis in Battle 4 Atlantis Opener
11/22/2023 9:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team battled back multiple times in the second half against Memphis on Wednesday night (Nov. 22), cutting the lead to one point late. The comeback came up shy, though, as the Tigers held on for a 71-67 win over the Wolverines in the teams' first game at the Battle 4 Atlantis at Imperial Arena.
Leaders and Best
Michigan (3-2) was led by Olivier Nkamhoua, who scored 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field and pulled in seven rebounds. Nimari Burnett added 16 points, including 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc, and nine rebounds.
The Turning Point
In the second half, Michigan pulled within one point of Memphis (4-0) at with just over four minutes remaining, but a Tigers three-pointer put them up for good.
Second Half
Trailing 37-25 at halftime, the Wolverines got on the board early in the second with Nkamhoua nailing a three-pointer, but Memphis continued to dominate. The Wolverines trailed by as many as 16 at 46-30 an the Tigers looked poised to extend the lead further. Burnett then hit a three to start a 12-2 run over a span of 6:13 that was bolstered by five points from Nkamhoua and four from Dug McDaniel to get U-M within six at 48-42 with 10:42 remaining in the second half.
Will Tschetter delivered a three-pointer to pull the Wolverines within three points, 54-51, at the under-eight minute media timeout (7:33).
A pair of Tray Jackson free throws got Michigan within one point, 59-58, but Memphis responded with a three-pointer to get the lead back to four, 62-58 with three minutes left in regulation.
McDaniel's made jumper with 35 seconds on the clock Michigan was the first for the Wolverines since the six minute mark of the half and brought then within 67-62 with 35 seconds. U-M got within two with nine seconds on the clock, but it was as close as they would get before the final buzzer sounded.
First Half
U-M scored the game's first basket to take a 2-0 lead and held a 6-4 advantage early. Memphis tied the game at 6 with just over 15 minutes remaining, took the lead less than a minute later and didn't look back for the rest of the half, going on a 17-6 run at one point and held a 37-25 lead at half. The Tigers took advantage of 13 Wolverines turnovers, turning them into 11 points.
What's Next
U-M will continue in the Battle 4 Atlantis with a Thanksgiving Day consolation matchup Thursday (Nov. 23) at 7:30 p.m. against Stanford. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
Notes
• Michigan outrebounded Memphis 50-28 with 19 offensive boards.
• The Wolverines scored 15 second-chance points.
• U-M battled from behind the entire game, trailing for 36 minutes in the contest.
• Michigan's overall Battle 4 Atlantis record moves to 5-2.
