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Thursday, December 28, 2006

#22 Memphis 87, Lamar 62

No. 22 Memphis Handles Lamar, 87-62
Douglas-Roberts leads with 19 points.

Dec. 28, 2006
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Chris Douglas-Roberts had 19 points and seven rebounds, and No. 22 Memphis overcame a slow first half to beat Lamar 87-62 Thursday night.

Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers' leading scorer, shot 9-of-16 from the field and was one of five players to score in double figures for Memphis.

The Tigers (10-3) built their lead to 22 midway through the second half and coasted to their fourth win in the last five. The Cardinals shot just 31 percent.

Robert Dozier scored 13 points and Kareem Cooper finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for Memphis. Jeremy Hunt also had 12 points and Joey Dorsey added 11.

James Davis, the Cardinals' bulky 7-foot-1 center and leading scorer at 17.2 points a game, led Lamar (5-8) with 20 points. Currye Todd added 13.

The game was a showdown between teacher and pupil. Lamar first-year coach Steve Roccaforte was an assistant on the Memphis staff under John Calipari from 2001-03.

Memphis led 38-28 at halftime after a sloppy first half. Douglas-Roberts led the Tigers with 13 points. No Cardinals were in double figures.

Lamar used a pressing defense to disrupt the Memphis offense early. The scrambling Cardinals caused four early turnovers, and the Tigers missed six of their first seven shots from the floor. The inefficiency had Calipari up screaming at his team and shuffling players, trying to find the right combination.

Eventually, Memphis began connecting from long range against Lamar's zone, building a 12-point lead midway through the first half.

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