Memphis, TN (My Sportsbook) - Shawn Taggart scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as fourth-ranked Memphis started their journey for a fourth straight Conference USA Tournament championship with a 51-41 win over Tulane in the quarterfinal round at the FedExForum.

Tyreke Evans added 16 points, five boards, and four assists for the top-seeded Tigers (29-3), who will face either fifth-seeded Houston or fourth-seeded Texas-El Paso in the semis on Friday. Robert Dozier pulled down 10 rebounds in the win.

Memphis ripped through the league for a 16-0 finish in the regular season. Owners of the nation's longest winning streak at 23 games, the Tigers have had an even better run in league play, having won its last 59 games against C-USA opponents. Included in that stretch is three consecutive C-USA Tournament titles under John Calipari, who recently took home the league's Coach of the Year award for the third time in the last four seasons.

Robinson Louisme poured in 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace the eighth-seeded Green Wave (14-17), who came away with a 69-59 win over ninth- seeded East Carolina in the opening round on Wednesday.

Following a Doneal Mack jumper to start the final stanza, Tulane ripped off eight straight points to put the Green Wave ahead 32-28. Louisme's slam capped off the flurry with 16:46 remaining.

The Tigers stepped up their defense from that point on to take control of the game. Memphis scored 18 consecutive points over about the next 12 1/2 minutes to seal the victory for the Tigers.

Evans spurred the run with 14 points while Taggart tallied four, including a three-point play to culminate the surge with 4:22 left. Tulane went 0-for-13 from the field and turned the ball over seven times during Memphis' spurt.

The Green Wave never got closer than nine points the remainder of the way as the Tigers outscored Tulane 25-17 in the second half.

After a back-and-forth first half, which had six ties and three lead changes, the Tigers held onto a 26-24 edge after 20 minutes of action. Taggart carried the Tigers with 15 first-half points on 6-of-7 shooting, while the Green Wave had a balanced attack.

Memphis shot 42.3 percent from the field after one half, compared to just 32 percent for Tulane.

Game Notes

Memphis shot 39.6 percent from the field, while the Green Wave made a lowly 28.6 percent of their shots...The Tigers have won 17 straight games against Tulane. Memphis is 40-9 all-time versus the Green Wave.