Braves Prep for Stiff Test at 13th-Ranked Memphis
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Braves Prep for Stiff Test at 13th-Ranked Memphis

Alcorn Game Notes | Memphis Game Notes | ESPN3 | Live Stats

MEMPHIS – Coming off its highest scoring total in 21 seasons, the Alcorn State University men's basketball program will look to carry momentum into Saturday when it takes on No. 13 Memphis at 1 p.m. at FedExForum.
 
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN3.
 
Alcorn (1-2) posted a lopsided 111-59 win over Paul Quinn on Tuesday in their home-opener. The 111 points were the most the program has scored since 1998-99.
 
In the win, senior Maurice Howard, a Preseason All-Conference First-Team selection, became the 40th student-athlete to reach 1,000 career points. He did it with 17 points including five three-pointers. Howard also moved up to No. 7 all-time in career assists with 244.
 
Junior Kobe Wilson notched his first career double-doubles with career-highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds. He leads the conference in both rebounding (9.0 rpg) and offensive rebounds (4.0 orpg).
 
Through three games, Alcorn has four student-athletes averaging in double-figures. Junior Troymain Crosby, a Preseason All-Conference Second-Team honoree, is the team-leader with 15.3 points per contest. Senior Deshaw Andrews has scored in double-digits in all three games and averages 11.7 points per game.
 
Memphis (2-1) will look to bounce back from its first defeat of the season after falling to Oregon 82-74 in Portland. The Tigers opened the year with wins over South Carolina State 97-64 and Illinois-Chicago 92-46.
 
James Wiseman - who averages a double-double with 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds to lead the Tigers – will not play Saturday. Boogie Ellis scores 12.0 points per game and is shooting .429 (9-21) from three-point range. As a team, the Tigers score 87.7 points per contest.
 
"Memphis has one of the top recruiting classes in the country. They have a couple draft picks on their team right now. We just need to go in there and compete. We need to do all the little things right in order to give ourselves the opportunity to win this basketball game," said Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson. "If we can shoot the way we did the other night, then we'll give ourselves a chance to win the game in the end."
 
Memphis is coached by Penny Hardaway, the No. 3 pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. After the 1995-96 season, he played on the U.S. Olympic Basketball team that won a gold medal. Hardaway was a four-time NBA All-Star with the Orlando Magic.
 
NOTES
- Alcorn and Memphis will meet for the first time since 1993-94. It's the fourth meeting between the two teams in the all-time series, and the Braves are going for their first-ever win against the Tigers.
 
- The Braves are going for their first non-conference win over a Division I opponent since 2012-13 when it topped Samford 69-65 in overtime. However, all wins from 2012-13 were vacated by the NCAA. Prior to that season, the last DI non-conference win was against Jacksonville State 70-68 in 2003-04.
 
- Alcorn has outrebounded all three of its opponents this season. The team carries a +6.3 rebounding margin per game.
 
- The Braves have outscored all three of their opponents in the second half this year. Their combined second half score is 127-84.
 
- Alcorn ranks first in the SWAC in both free throw percentage (.750) and three-pointers made per game (9.7). Senior Corey Tillery averages 2.7 threes per game, while Howard is at 2.3 per outing.
 
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