No. 22 Memphis wins ninth straight

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Robert Dozier had 13 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 22 Memphis to its ninth straight victory, an 80-52 win against Rice on Wednesday night.

Doneal Mack added 14 points for Tigers (15-3, 5-0 Conference USA), who never trailed in the game.

Connor Frizzelle led Rice (6-12, 1-3) with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Rodney Foster finished with 13 points. Cory Pflieger, the only Rice player scoring in double figures at 10.4 points a game, was scoreless, taking only one shot.

The Owls committed 21 turnovers and shot only 36 percent.

Memphis, which returned to the AP Top 25 this week after a four-week absence, won its 47th straight conference game, including the postseason.

The Tiger never really were threatened in the game. Memphis led by as many as 22 in the first half and held a 47-28 lead at the break. The advantage would eventually reach 31 in the second half.

Mack scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Memphis shot 46 percent from long range.

The active Memphis defense forced 12 Rice turnovers in the first half and kept the Owls shooting well under 40 percent.

Foster scored the Owls’ first 11 points. Lawrence Ghoram scored inside with 11:13 left in the half for the first non-Foster points for Rice.

Nothing seemed to go right for Rice. The offense really never was smooth as Memphis continually put pressure on the Owls, forcing turnovers and bad shots.

Meanwhile, Memphis shot well, going to the locker room at 47 percent.

Neither team started the second half well. The Tigers missed their first seven shots. The lead never got below 17, and Rice was hindered when Foster picked up his fourth foul.

Memphis coasted the rest of the way.

The lead was so comfortable that at one point in the second half, officials couldn’t determine which team knocked the ball out of bounds. Memphis coach John Calipari admitted to the refs that one of his players was the last to touch it.

“In a close game, I wouldn