San Juan, PR (Best E Casino) - Doneal Mack scored 19 points and doled out four assists to lead 13th-ranked Memphis past Chattanooga, 83-71, in opening round action of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Robert Dozier added 18 points, eight rebounds and four helpers for the Tigers (3-0), who advance to play Seton Hall on Friday. Shawn Taggart gave 16 points and 11 boards in the win.
Stephen McDowell poured in a game-high 27 points for the Mocs (0-3), who will play Southern California on Friday. Nicchaeus Doaks ended with 15 points and a game-best 16 boards.
Mack's layup tied the game at 13-13 with 11:20 left in the first half.
Two Taggart layups, a Mack three-pointer and a dunk by Antonio Anderson gave Memphis a seven-point lead with 3:55 showing on the clock.
Memphis followed by outscoring Chattanooga 11-6 the rest of the first half, as the Tigers held a 47-35 lead at the intermission.
Dozier's fastbreak dunk capped a 9-2 Memphis run to open the second half. The surge gave the Tigers a 56-37 lead with 16:31 left in the game.
Keyron Sheard's three-pointer brought the Mocs within 74-60 with just under five minutes remaining and the teams traded baskets before Ty Patterson nailed a three-ball right around the three-minute mark to bring Chattanooga within 77-66.
The Mocs were unable to get within 11 points the rest of the way, and the Tigers cruised to victory.
Game Notes
The Mocs dropped a 114-75 decision at Tennessee on Saturday, and they followed that effort with a 103-75 setback at Missouri on Monday...Memphis is fresh off Monday's 80-58 decision over UMass, and John Calipari is now the winningest coach in program history with 222 victories...Memphis owns a 9-2 series lead over Chattanooga.