Penny Hardaway didn’t hold back on the Memphis Tigers’ struggles following their 80-71 loss to the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday night. Going into the matchup, Memphis had a 1-2 record. They beat San Francisco in the opener but lost their next two contests against Ole Miss and UNLV, disappointing results to the high expectations they had to start the year. Then came the matchup against Purdue. Facing the top-ranked team in the country was always going to be a tall task, but the Tigers competed with the Boilermakers throughout the course of the game before faltering down the stretch. Hardaway reflected on the loss after the game, per reporter Parth Upadhyaya. He was proud of the team’s effort in competing but refuses to accept moral victories due to the standard they set for themselves. “I’m proud of the guys’ effort, but we don’t accept moral victories. If we played this hard all year, we would be 3-1 instead of 1-3,” Hardaway said. How Penny Hardaway, Memphis performed against Purdue Penny Hardaway wants to have a deep tournament run with the Memphis Tigers. However, their slow start to the year will make that objective easier said than done, especially after losing to Purdue. Memphis had a great start to the matchup, leading for a solid stretch. However, their defense faltered down the stretch as they have up 44 points in the second half, giving Purdue the distance they needed to earn the win. Perimeter shooting and ball movement made the difference in this matchup. The Boilermakers dominated in both categories by making 11 3-pointers and creating 20 assists. It wasn’t the same for the Tigers as they only knocked down four triples and dished out nine assists. Four players scored in double-digits for Memphis. Dug McDaniel led the way with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal. He shot 7-of-15 from the field, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Zach Davis came next with 11 points and three assists, Sincere Parker put up 10 points and five rebounds, while Tariq Ingraham had 10 points and three rebounds. The Tigers will look to bounce back in their next matchup, remaining on the road. They face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Nov. 21 at 7 p. m. ET.
https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/memphis-basketball-news-penny-hardaway-sends-stern-message-effort-purdue-loss