WRAL Sports Fan

Final Score: Memphis 67, East Carolina 54

Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Joe Jackson tallied 15 points as the Memphis Tigers coasted to a 67-54 decision over the East Carolina Pirates in the Conference USA opener for both sides at FedExForum.

Shaq Goodwin provided 12 points for Memphis (11-3, 1-0 C-USA) as it set a league record with its 200th Conference USA victory. D.J. Stephens made an impact on the glass with 11 rebounds.

Maurice Kemp and Shamarr Bowden scored 11 points each for ECU (9-5, 0-1). Robert Sampson and Miguel Paul added 10 points apiece and they both contributed in other ways as well. Sampson pulled down a team-high nine boards while Paul dished out seven assists.

Memphis completely controlled the first half as it hit 48.6 percent of its field goal attempts and limited the Pirates to just 6-of-20 shooting from the floor. The dominant performance over the opening 20 minutes sent the Tigers into halftime with a 39-19 lead.

The Pirates used the 3-point line to narrow the deficit after the break as they hit 7-of-16 from beyond the arc while Memphis missed its only try from distance. Although the Pirates closed the margin to a few as five points, they were unable to get any closer which gave the Tigers their fifth consecutive win.

Memphis held a sizeable 41-23 edge in the rebounding battle and converted 18 ECU turnovers into 19 points.