Kendric Davis, Memphis lose their cool in agonizing loss to FAU in March Madness | Giannotto

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gut reactions from Memphis basketball’s 66-65 loss to Florida Atlantic in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

A dramatic finish

Kendric Davis was yelling in pain and then he was yelling at Malcolm Dandridge. The Tigers’ star had reinjured his ankle, landing on an FAU defender’s foot on the very stage he dreamed of upon transferring to Memphis. He was losing his cool, the emotions of his first March Madness overcoming him

A team that had largely avoided this type of drama was suddenly erupting in chaos its season hanging in the balance. It sadly became a defining moment once FAU’s Nick Boyd scored the game-winning layup to end the Tigers’ season.

Davis did return to the game hobbled, but his poor pass with 14 seconds left and eighth-seeded Memphis (26-9) up by one opened the door for ninth-seeded FAU (32-3) to advance. In the scramble for the loose ball, the Tigers thought they called a timeout. The refs didn’t grant one, though.

So an opportunity to go to the Sweet 16, with No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson now awaiting FAU on Sunday, had slipped away.

Penny Hardaway threw his water bottle to the court in disgust. DeAndre Williams flung his headband into the stands with anger. Davis stared into nowhere seated on the bench, his career over in the most heartbreaking of finishes.

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The DeAndre Williams decision

It was going to be remembered as either incredibly daring or incredibly too dicey. There was no in between when coach Penny Hardaway re-inserted Williams back into the game with four fouls and 14 minutes to go.

Williams picked up his third and fourth fouls less than 50 seconds apart in the opening three minutes of the second half, a reminder under the biggest of spotlights that of an issues that has surfaced consistently throughout his Memphis career. FAU soon tied the game with the 26-year-old Tiger on the bench.

Story continues

But Hardaway chose to trust him, and Williams made the move look like a brilliant one. He didn’t foul again, playing almost the entire rest of the game. He also made every big play down the stretch, particularly once Memphis nearly combusted late.

Williams’s two putbacks in the final 90 seconds put Memphis in a position to win until FAU made the biggest play of all.

Unusual suspects save the day

This did not start well, either. Not at all.

Memphis was settling for too many 3-pointers. Davis and Williams looked tentative and out of sync against FAU’s halfcourt defense. After a 14-2 FAU run, the Tigers trailed by 10 and were shooting 27.7 percent, including 1 of 9 from beyond the arc. Their dynamic duo was a combined 2 for 10 from the field.

It looked perilous for a moment.

But the resiliency of this team surfaced in a most unpredictable way – through the supporting cast that’s often in the background when Davis and Williams are thriving.

Role players like Elijah McCadden, Damaria Franklin and Jayden Hardaway made crucial contributions to steady Memphis until Davis found his bearings late in the first half. McCadden had timely buckets and rebounds. Franklin had a sequence in which got a chasedown block and then a 3-pointer. Hardaway then hit the 3-pointer that tied the game at 29.

The momentum had swung, the defense became stifling and Davis started to play like himself again after going more than 13 minutes between field goals. He had 10 points in the final six minutes before halftime, including two 3-pointers that gave Memphis a 35-31 advantage heading into the locker room.

A remarkably bad beginning had given way to a remarkable response, made possible by an unlikely trio that scored 19 points.

But FAU responded last.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: March Madness: Kendric Davis, Memphis lose their cool in loss to FAU