Thomas scores 20, Memphis edges UCF 59-57
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Lance Thomas scored a career-high 20 points and Memphis held off UCF 59-57 on Wednesday night.
Thomas was 8-of-11 shooting, including four 3-pointers, two in the final 3-minutes, each giving the Tigers a five-point lead.
Ceasar DeJesus made a jumper for UCF with 56 seconds to go but Precious Achiuwa matched that with 20 seconds to play, restoring the five-point lead until DeJesus nailed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Neither team led by more than six points and there were five ties and 16 lead changes.
Achiuwa had 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for Memphis (15-5, 4-3 American Athletic Conference). Boogie Ellis added 13 points.
Collin Smith scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Knights (11-9, 2-6) and DeJesus added 13 points. Darin Green Jr. had 11 points.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
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2020-2021 American Athletic Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 6-1 | - | 11-1 |
| Wichita State | 4-1 | 1 | 8-3 |
| Tulsa | 5-2 | 1 | 8-4 |
| SMU | 3-2 | 2 | 7-2 |
| South Florida | 3-3 | 2.5 | 7-5 |
| Memphis | 2-2 | 2.5 | 6-5 |
| Temple | 2-3 | 3 | 3-3 |
| East Carolina | 1-3 | 3.5 | 7-3 |
| Tulane | 1-4 | 4 | 6-4 |
| UCF | 1-4 | 4 | 3-5 |
| Cincinnati | 1-4 | 4 | 3-7 |