Like a paintbrush, Jeremiah Martin's highlighter-green basketball shoes traced the outline of his historic performance Wednesday, etching each detail of the 43-point game onto the hardwood inside FedExForum.

Every free throw, 3-point make and layup was another stroke of a brush, forming the grand masterpiece that was the American Athletic Conference's record for points in a game.

And as Martin left the floor Wednesday night after the Tigers' 102-76 annihilation of Tulane, there was nothing left to do but admire the virtuoso's work.

For the Memphis crowd, it was a standing ovation. For Penny Hardaway, it was a hug and words of encouragement.

"I just told him, 'Way to take care of business,'" Hardaway said of the embrace.

Once Martin was finished putting on the finishing touches – a pair of free throws with just over two minutes remaining – the senior walked off his canvas to a raucous cheer as the only Tiger to ever score more than 40 points in multiple games.

It's led to his younger teammates asking him: How does it come so easy?

"I tell them now, it's a long career," Martin said. "... It just takes time and studying – trust in your craft."

History for Jeremiah Martin, again

"When he got to 28 points, I think with about 14 or 15 minutes left, I said, 'Get to 40.' Then when he got to 40, I wasn't taking him out until he got his career-high," Hardaway said. "It wasn't anything about Tulane. It was about rewarding Jeremiah for what he's done here for four years."

Martin's most recent jaw-dropping performance placed him in the Memphis record book as the only player in school history to have two 40-point games in one season. His last 40-point game came in a rally that fell short at South Florida.

"Coach Hardaway was talking to me about that last week," Martin said. "He was saying, 'It was amazing watching you score 41 points in a half, but it doesn't feel as good when you lose.' But now that I scored 43 and we won, it feels great."

But perhaps the most incredible part of the historic night is that it came just days after Martin controversially declared himself the best player in the conference – a statement defended by his coach and teammates.

Martin is averaging 29.6 points per contest in his last six games, the best in the AAC.

"It's great to know that everybody is pulling for me," Martin said. "I don't have any tension or guys thinking like, 'Man, he's not the heart and soul of the team.'"

Dominating the glass

The Tigers bullied the Green Wave on the glass Wednesday, outrebounding Tulane — the tallest team in the AAC — 56-35.

Hardaway's team corralled 11 offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes, scoring eight second-chance points to race out to a 17-point advantage.

"Kareem Brewton had nine, Jeremiah Martin had seven and Raynere Thornton had nine. But when our guards go out and rebound, we're going to do well," Hardaway said.

The only Memphis player to finish with double-digit rebounds, however, was Kyvon Davenport, whom Hardaway challenged to be more consistent Tuesday.

Davenport had already snagged double-digit rebounds by the end of the first half Wednesday, a mark he's reached for an entire game just three times since the beginning of conference play.

The senior finished with a career-high 15 boards and 10 points.

"Kyvon Davenport, when he rebounds the way he's supposed to, with 15, I think we're going to outrebound people on a lot of nights," said Hardaway.

Seniors show up big

But it wasn't just Martin and Davenport who played well against Tulane.

Four different Memphis seniors scored in double-digits Wednesday, including 13 from Brewton and 14 from Thornton.

The Tigers seniors accounted for 84 percent of the team's points, combining for 86 points 44 rebounds and 17 assists.

Freshman guard Tyler Harris was the only non-senior to score in the game, dropping in 16 points with three makes from behind the arc.