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Thursday, Mar. 29 6:00pm ET
Memphis clamps down on Detroit in second half

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NEW YORK (AP) – Kelly Wise had 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting as Memphis ended its first season under John Calipari with an 86-71 victory over Detroit in the NIT third-place game Thursday night.

Shannon Forman added 17 points and Marcus Moody scored 13 of his 15 in the second half for the Tigers (21-15), who broke open a close game by clamping down on defense in the second half.

Moody hit a pair of 3-pointers and Wise scored twice underneath during a 14-2 run that gave Memphis a 69-53 lead. Detroit (25-12) went 7:21 seconds during a stretch in the second half without a field goal and shot only 34.4 percent for the game.

Rashad Phillips scored 27 points to set the single-season scoring mark at Detroit. Phillips' 785 points broke Spencer Haywood's record of 771 in 1969. Phillips also finished his college career as the Titans' leading scorer at 2,319 points.

Willie Green added 18 points and nine rebounds, but Detroit got little offense after that.

Calipari, who coached Massachusetts to the Final Four in 1996 before spending two-plus seasons with the New Jersey Nets in the NBA, has helped turn Memphis around.

The team's 21 wins are its most since going 22-8 in 1995-96. Calipari also got one of the top recruiting classes in the nation during the early signing period.

Dajuan Wagner, the son of former Louisville star and NBA player Milt Wagner, is the most prominent player in the class, having scored 100 points in a game for Camden (N.J.) High School this season. Milt Wagner also is on Calipari's staff.

Wise's tap-in at the halftime buzzer gave Memphis a 40-38 lead.

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