ESPN Men's Basketball

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- D.J. Stephens matched his career high with 15 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots as Memphis took an early lead and easily defeated Tulsa 94-64 on Saturday.

Stephens' hustling play in the first half allowed Memphis to hold a 17-point lead at halftime, and the Tigers (18-3, 7-0 Conference USA) continued to pour it on in the second half for their 12th straight win.

Antonio Barton led the Tigers' scorers with 16 points, while Chris Crawford added 12 points. Shaq Goodwin finished with 10 points.

Kauri Black led Tulsa (12-10, 4-4) with 14 points, while Scottie Haralson added 13 points. Pat Swilling Jr. scored 11 and Rashad Ray had 10 points for Tulsa, which lost its second straight and third in the last four.

Memphis connected on 48.5 percent of its shots (32 of 66), including Stephens' 6-of-7 performance from the field.

Tulsa, meanwhile, was 19 of 56 from the floor (33.9 percent) and was hindered by 16 turnovers, which led to 21 points.

Stephens provided the early spark for Memphis, hitting his first four shots and recording all 15 points in the first half.

Stephens not only connected on six of his seven shots, but grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots in the half, part of Memphis rejecting nine Golden Hurricane shots before the break.

That provided Memphis with a 49-32 lead at intermission.

Haralson and Swilling had eight points each for Tulsa, which shot 35.7 percent (10 of 28) in the first half, compared to 48.6 percent (17 of 35) for Memphis.

Memphis' 12 turnovers contributed to 18 Golden Hurricane points.

Memphis opened the second half with a 20-7 rally to carry the lead to 30 points.

The Tigers built the lead to as many as 35 with just over 8 minutes remaining.