Memphis Beats Cincinnati 60-45

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Antonio Anderson scored 18 points while Tyreke Evans added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Memphis to a 60-45 victory over Cincinnati on Monday night.

Anderson, who has struggled shooting for most of the season, connected on 8 of 13 shots as the Tigers won their second straight and snapped the Bearcats' four-game winning streak.

"It's just routine," Anderson said of breaking out of the slump. "Just standing in the gym and shooting, shooting and shooting. Not letting up on myself or worrying about what people have got to say. Nothing different. Just shoot the ball."

Robert Dozier added 17 points for Memphis (8-3).

Evans was starting his first game at point guard and added eight assists in the game. But it was accompanied with some ball-handling problems as he committed seven turnovers.

"We laughed and said Tyreke could have had a quadruple-double because he almost had 10 turnovers," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "But it was his first start at point guard, and I was on him."

Deonta Vaughn led the Bearcats (10-3) with 17 points, and was the only Cincinnati player in double figures.

The Bearcats were hindered by 26.1 percent shooting from the field (12 of 46) and 20 turnovers.

"You can't have 20 turnovers, though," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "We had some guys that looked really shaky with the basketball."

Memphis shot 37.5 percent from the field (24 of 64), including 2 of 18 from beyond the arc, making Anderson's shooting performance that much more important.

"We tried to go inside early, but that wasn't working," Cronin said. "We tried the pick-and-roll. We tried to push the ball. We tried to do everything on the offensive end to get somebody going.

"At the end of the day, you can't be a one-man band."

The first half saw aggressive, physical defensive play from both teams contribute to poor shooting performances in the contest. Memphis started 1-for-11, while the Bearcats managed to miss nine of their first 10.

The first-half shooting percentages didn't get much better after the start. Memphis improved to 34.4 percent in the half (11 of 32), but made only 1 of 12 3-point shots. Cincinnati, however, connected on only 21.4 percent of its shots (6 of 28), including 2 of 11 from long distance. Memphis even struggled from the line, hitting 7 of 14 shots.

Both teams fumbled away opportunities either with poor shots or turnovers. Memphis had a fastbreak at one point, but Doneal Mack lost the handle on the lead pass and committed a turnover.

The Bearcats managed 11 miscues in the half, leading to 11 Memphis points.

With such poor shooting, no player from either team was in double figures at the break.

There were five ties and six lead changes in the first half. Memphis was able to create some distance by registering the final six points of the first half for a 30-22 lead at the break.

That was part of a 13-3 run that spanned the two halves and gave the Tigers a 12-point lead early in the second.

Memphis never trailed the rest of the way.

Memphis extended its lead by continuing the defensive pressure in the second half. Evans slapped away a pair of passes and turned them into fastbreak baskets to stop a mini-rally of seven unanswered Bearcats points. Anderson was able to contribute offensively, and Memphis held a double-digit lead when Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin called timeout to try and stop the Tigers' momentum.

Memphis continued to hold a lead of at least double digits after the 9 minute mark. The defense converted to offense, including another steal by Evans that led to a layup and a 51-37 lead with about six minutes left. The way the Bearcats were shooting, there was little hope they could erase the deficit.

Cincinnati entered the game with a rebounding average of plus-10.4, one of the best margins in the country. But Memphis outrebounded the Bearcats 44-32, including 21 off the offensive glass.

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