Memphis Tigers Defeated St. John’s Red Storm 73-71 at Buzzer in 1st Round of NIT at FedEx Forum in Memphis Wednesday

Wesley Witherspoon scored 18 points, including the winning layup as time expired, to give host Memphis a 73-71 victory over St. John’s in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Johnnies as the team played well for their coach Norm Roberts. I would not be surprised if St. John’s wants to change direction and replace Roberts after six years of service. The Tigers shooting was excellent, going 51.1 percent from the field and 55.00 percent from outside the 3-point arc. St. John’s tied it with less then 17 seconds lefts in the game on a long 3-point jumper from the left side. I was yelling “don’t foul” as Witherspoon came down the lane on the left side and shot high off the glass. My heart sunk when I saw the ball roll in. That’s the story of the Johnnies season. D.J. Kennedy had an excellent game, scoring 18 points (FG 6 of 12, 3Pt 4 of 9, FT 2 of 2). Memphis native Anthony Mason, Jr. scored 17 points (FG 5 of 10, 3Pt 3 of 5, FT 4 of 5).