Hayes continues to dominate the league and helped Memphis post an expected win over Houston, 87-84. The game was a solid team effort, but Hayes - a favorite for post-season honors - was outstanding, completely overshadowing a great performance by Houston key player, Lewis.

Hayes's coach, Bob, had nothing but praise for his star. "He's just special. It's something just to sit back and watch him do his thing. He certainly brings pride to Memphis fans everywhere." Houston coach Bob was concilliatory after the game as well. "When Hayes is doing his thing, you just hope you can keep him under control. We didn't, though Lewis certainly did his part. We really thought we could win this game, so the locker room is pretty quiet right now. We'll just have to turn our focus to next week."

Memphis was led by Hayes (18 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Brown (11 points, 9 boards, 1 assists, a steal), Jensen (9 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals). Houston was led by Lewis (24 points, 1 assists, 3 blocks), Sims (19 points, 8 boards, 1 assists, a steal, 3 blocks), Fox (6 points, 5 assists, 3 blocks).

Memphis jump to 16-10. They stay at #1 in the Southwest and remain at #3 overall in the Western Conference. With the loss, Houston fall to 15-13 and 9-7 at home. They stay at #2 in the Southwest and remain at #7 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Memphis roster Houston roster