Nov. 11, 2004

Box Score |  Quotes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Rodney Carney scored 21 points and No. 24 Memphis had six players finish in double figures in a 102-40 victory over Savannah State on Thursday night in the opening round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Carney was 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, for the Tigers (1-0), who will play George Mason in the second round on Saturday night. The Patriots (1-0) beat Ind.-Pur.-Fort Wayne 69-51 Thursday night.

Anthony Rice scored 17 points for Memphis, while Sean Banks finished with 15 and Jeremy Hunt added 14. Freshman forward Joey Dorsey finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds, while freshman point guard Darius Washington had 10 points and eight assists.

Josh Barker led Savannah State (0-1) with 12 points, while Donald Carson added 10.

Memphis steadily built the lead through the first half, leading by as many as 34 points before taking a 55-22 halftime lead.

The advantage was built around solid shooting, particularly from 3-point range, control of the boards and a defense that limited Savannah State to 29 percent shooting and 11 turnovers in the first half.

The turnovers and a 28-17 advantage on the boards let Memphis get its fast break going. And to complement that, Memphis shot 7-of-13 from 3-point range.

Memphis forced 22 turnovers in the game and controlled the boards 58-36. Savannah State managed just 18 points in the second half on 21 percent shooting.