Memphis 83, Ark.-Little Rock 71

Published Dec. 17, 2009 3:14 a.m. ET

foxsports

Roburt Sallie scored 18 points, and Memphis overcame a sluggish first half to beat Arkansas-Little Rock 83-71 Saturday.

The Tigers (7-1) went on a 21-6 run at the start of the second half. Elliot Williams scored 20 of his 21 points after intermission for Memphis.

Solomon Bozeman scored 23 points to lead the Trojans (4-6), who led 34-29 at halftime.

Matt Mouzy scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 16 for UALR.

UALR defended Williams physically in the first half, holding him to two field-goal attempts. He had plenty of help, though. Memphis made five 3-pointers in the first 5:30 of the second half, including three by Sallie.

The Trojans had a chance to make it interesting down the stretch, but Mouzy missed a 3-pointer with under 4:00 remaining, and Williams made a 3 at the other end to put Memphis ahead 71-61.

Memphis is trying to continue its winning ways after the departure of coach John Calipari to Kentucky. The Tigers nearly beat top-ranked Kansas last month and have won six straight since.

Memphis was one spot out of the Top 25 this week.

This game was played before a crowd of 5,538 at Verizon Arena, instead of at UALR's on-campus facility. One side of the court was taken up almost entirely by Memphis fans. Memphis is about a two-hour drive from the Little Rock area.

Williams scored at least 20 points for the seventh straight game. He finished 4-of-7 from the field and 11-of-15 on free throws.

After being held to 29 points in the first half, Memphis scored that many in less than nine minutes to start the second. The Tigers went 9-of-16 from 3-point range in the second half and finished 12-of-28.

Doneal Mack scored 12 points for Memphis. Mike Smith finished with 10 points and eight rebounds for UALR.

The Tigers' impressive outside shooting offset some positive signs for UALR, which is in a bit of a rebuilding mode after being one of the Sun Belt Conference's top teams last season. The Trojans committed only 12 turnovers and outrebounded Memphis 37-30.