Jan 7, 2003

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Chris Massie scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds Tuesday night to lead Memphis to a 85-73 victory over Tulane in the Conference USA opener for both teams.

Massie connected on 15-of-23 shots from the floor and added 4-of-6 free throws as Memphis (10-2, 1-0) won its sixth straight. Massie scored 19 of Memphis' first 34 points in the second half before he left with the Tigers up by 21 with less than two minutes to play.

Tulane (7-7, 0-1) cut the lead at the end against the Memphis reserves. The loss snapped a Green Wave two-game winning streak.

Antonio Burks and John Grice scored 16 points each for the Tigers, with Grice adding eight rebounds and five assists.

Massie's rebounds helped Memphis control the boards 52-29.

Nick Sinville led the Green Wave with 17, while Waitari Marsh scored 16 and Brandon Spann finished with 11, all in the first half. Brandon Brown, Tulane's leading scorer, had 10, but was 4-of-10 from the field.

Memphis put the game away with a 27-7 run during the final six minutes of the first half, including the last 11 points, to take a 48-31 halftime lead.

Tulane had used Spann's early scoring to build a 24-21 lead.

But the Tigers began scoring from the outside with Burks and inside with Massie to pull away in the final stages of the half.

Massie had 15 in the half to lead Memphis, while Grice added 12 and Burks had 10, eight in the final six minutes.

Spann had 11 and Sinville 10 for Tulane.

Both teams shot 50 percent for the opening half.

Memphis maintained its double-digit lead through the second half, going continually inside to Massie as the center scored 12 of Memphis' first 19 points after the break.

With 12 minutes left in the game, Massie already had matched his career-high of 23 points.