NASSAU, Bahamas — Ashton Hardaway drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing, turned to the crowd and shook his head.

Even he couldn’t believe it.

Memphis’ 6-foot-8 freshman forward had just buried his fifth 3-pointer of the game to allow his team to grow its lead back out to 6 points, with fewer than seven minutes left in its 71-67 win over Michigan in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday.

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“My brothers and my coaches tell me, ‘Stay ready for when your opportunity comes,’” Hardaway said. “And today was my opportunity.”

The Tigers (4-0) saw the Wolverines (3-2) cut what was once a 16-point lead down to one but ended up gutting out a victory anyway. It was in large part thanks to Hardaway’s 17 points and 5-7 mark from deep.

At first, it appeared as if Memphis would run away with this one.

Coach Penny Hardaway’s team didn’t take long to catch fire, despite starting the game with just five makes in its first 15 field goal attempts. The Tigers got a jolt when Ashton Hardaway checked in for the first time about seven minutes into the contest.

The younger Hardaway started his stellar outing by scoring 8 points in a span of 1:25 in the first half. First, it was a slick step-back jumper; then it was back-to-back contested 3-pointers.

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“I just feel like any time my teammates trust me with the ball to score, I’m pretty confident with my shot,” Hardaway said. “I knew probably after the first two that I was gonna have a pretty good game from the field.”

Memphis used that momentum to close the opening half on a 17-6 run and go into halftime with a 12-point advantage. This, too, with leading scorers Jaykwon Walton and David Jones combining for only 2 points on 1-9 shooting.

After going up 46-30 about three minutes into the second half, though, the momentum shifted in favor of Michigan.

The Wolverines pounded the offensive glass, got to the free throw line often and forced Memphis to take several tough shots to chip away at the Tigers’ lead.

“They went zone,” Penny Hardaway said. “And when they went zone, we missed some open shots. And they got confidence and started making shots. ... Some of it was just offensive rebounding. And then they got into the penalty early and made free throws.

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“We executed, but we just didn’t knock down shots. And defensively, we just didn’t defend without fouling or box out.”

Every time Memphis needed an answer, though, there was Ashton Hardaway.

When Michigan went on a 12-2 run midway through the second half to cut its deficit to 6 points with 10 minutes left, Hardaway sank a right-wing 3 that kept the Wolverines arm’s-length away.

Then, with his team’s lead down to 3, Hardaway responded again with a 3-pointer. The moment, the stage — none of it fazed him.

“Just knowing the work I’ve put in (allows me to stay ready),” he said. “I wasn’t really been getting as many opportunities in the past, but I’ve been in the gym. ... None of it was easy. But (I’m) just staying focused.” 

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A little less than two minutes later came Hardaway’s final triple of the night — the one followed by the head-shake — which put the Tigers ahead by six with 6:54 remaining.

Ne, it wasn’t the dagger. (Michigan still got within 1 point less than three minutes later.) But it was exactly what Memphis needed to keep the game from slipping away.

Walton and Jones scored 13 of the Memphis’ final 15 points the rest of the way to seal the victory. Jones finished with 11 points and Caleb Mills added 10.

Still, Hardaway’s buckets gave the Tigers life in key moments and helped them maintain their lead. They put them in a position to be able to still win despite a far-from-perfect second half. And, maybe most importantly, they were another example of just how many weapons the team has at its disposal.

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This night belonged to Hardaway, and the Tigers wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

“My teammates, they really build me up a lot,” Hardaway said. “That’s really it. My teammates are the one who helped me do this.”

Other notes:

• Wednesday’s game marked coach Penny Hardaway’s first time coaching this new-look Memphis squad in a regular-season game. Hardaway missed the Tigers’ first three games while serving the three-game suspension the NCAA gave him in June for recruiting violations he committed in 2021.
• Memphis entered Wednesday’s game ranked No. 29 in KenPom while Michigan was No. 38. The matchup was both teams’ toughest test to date, with the Tigers’ best opponent prior being Missouri (No. 87 in KenPom) and the Wolverines’ being St. John’s (No. 70).
• Memphis was out-rebounded 50-28 and gave up 16 offensive rebounds to Michigan.
• Up next: Memphis will play No. 20 Arkansas at 4 p.m. CT Thursday (ESPN, 98.9 FM) in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Razorbacks (4-1) beat Stanford 77-74 in double overtime to advance.