MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dain Dainja had 22 points and 11 rebounds, PJ Haggerty also scored 22 and No. 22 Memphis sprinted past Florida Atlantic in the second half of an 84-65 victory Sunday.
Colby Rogers added 15 points for first-place Memphis (22-5, 12-2 American Athletic Conference), which has won nine of 10.
Tre Carroll led the Owls (15-12, 8-6) with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Kaleb Glenn scored 15. Florida Atlantic lost its second straight after a five-game winning streak. Leland Walker finished with 14 points.
Memphis defeated Florida Atlantic 90-62 in the conference opener Jan. 2. The Tigers had trouble gaining traction early on Sunday, but a rally in the first half got them out of a hole and into a lead.
Takeaways
Florida Atlantic: The Owls enjoyed a five-game winning streak during the early part of this month before a loss to Wichita State last week. Awful free-throw shooting and a couple of Memphis runs spelled defeat this time.
Memphis: The Tigers needed a win after an overtime loss at Wichita State a week ago dropped them eight spots to No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll.
Key moment
Florida Atlantic had a lead in the first half before Memphis went on a 14-0 run keyed by offensive rebounding. A 12-0 Tigers spurt early in the second half put the game out of reach.
Key stat
Florida Atlantic entered shooting 71% at the free-throw line this season, but went 5 for 18 (28%) in this one.
Up next
Both teams play at home Wednesday. Florida Atlantic faces North Texas, and Memphis hosts Rice.
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