MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In a thrilling season opener for both teams, PJ Haggerty showcased his skills by scoring 22 of his 25 points in the second half, leading Memphis to an 83-75 victory over Missouri on Monday night.
The game began with Memphis facing a 10-point deficit at halftime. However, the Tigers surged back with an impressive 58% shooting performance in the second half, capitalizing on their free throws by sinking 17 out of 20 attempts whereas Missouri could only hit 15 of 23.
Haggerty was not alone in his scoring prowess, as Tyrese Hunter and Moussa Cisse contributed significantly with 14 points each, with both players tallying nine in the latter half. Colby Rogers added another 10 points to the mix.
On the Missouri side, Anthony Robinson II was the standout player with 16 points, followed closely by Tamar Bates and Trent Pierce, who both scored 13, and Aidan Shaw, who chipped in with 10 points.
Memphis faced a significant challenge this season, returning only 8% of its scoring from last year’s squad after losing 14 players. In response, the team brought in 11 transfers, including Haggerty from Tulsa, Hunter from Texas, Cisse from Mississippi State, and Rogers from Wichita State. Notably, Tyrek Smith, a transfer from SMU, announced he would be leaving the team before making his debut.
Haggerty ignited the comeback with five points during a remarkable 16-2 run that allowed Memphis to claw back from an 11-point deficit to take a 58-55 lead midway through the second half, contributing a total of 10 points during this stretch. Following that, he added nine more points in an 11-3 spree that pushed the advantage to 71-62 with just 3:46 left on the clock.
Memphis has shown strong season-opening performance history, claiming victory in seven consecutive openers and extending their streak to 22 consecutive wins in home openers.
Missouri initially established a lead, thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Pierce and Robinson that took them to a 29-19 advantage. Pierce’s second three-pointer extended the lead to 36-22 five minutes before halftime, which concluded with Missouri ahead 42-32.
In the first half, Missouri shot an impressive 54.5% (18 out of 33) while limiting Memphis to only 34% (11 out of 32) shooting, alongside causing eight turnovers against the Tigers. Pierce’s second three capped a noteworthy streak of 10 consecutive successful shots that inflated Missouri’s lead to 14.
It’s worth mentioning that Missouri’s last true road opener occurred two decades ago, making this match a significant moment for the team.