Tigers snap 4-game skid with 65-63 win over Wichita State
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Behind big shots from two of its big dogs, the University of Memphis men’s basketball team snapped a four-game losing skid with a 65-63 comeback win over Wichita State in an American Athletic Conference showdown Saturday afternoon inside FedExForum.
Jahvon Quinerly‘s clutch 3-pointer with 44 seconds left gave the Tigers their first lead of the day after trailing by 14 points late in the second half, but it was a midrange pull-up jumper from David Jones with 2.8 seconds remaining that sealed the victory and officially put Memphis (16-6, 5-4 AAC) back on the left side of the win column.
Wichita State (9-13, 1-8 AAC) led for nearly 38 minutes in the contest and held a 54-40 advantage after Dalen Ridgnal swished two free throws at the 7:55 mark. From that moment on, however, the Tigers kicked it into high gear and outscored the Shockers 25-9 the rest of the way.
Jones spearheaded the charge with 16 of his game-high 26 points during the run. He put up 11-straight points for the Tigers to bring them within two points with a minute left to play. Following a defensive stop and a rebound from Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway drew up the perfect play to put the ball in Quinerly’s hands for the go-ahead triple, despite the fifth-year point guard going 0-for-12 from the floor until that moment. It was his only points of the day.
On the ensuing possession, the Tigers were whistled for a foul on the rebound and Ronnie DeGray III sank just 1-of-2 at the stripe to tie the game at 63 and set the stage for Jones’ game-winner on the other end.
Memphis shot 24-of-64 from the field (37.5%) and 8-of-19 from long range (42%).
Wichita State was led by 19 points from Colby Rogers and 12 points from DeGray III. The Tigers held the Shockers to 35.6 percent from the floor (21-of-59) and 38.9 percent from distance (7-of-18).
Memphis has won eight-straight games against the Shockers and 10 of the last 11 meetings overall. Wichita State has not won in Memphis in its last six tries, since an 85-65 win on Feb. 6, 2018 when the Shockers were ranked 21st in the nation.
About Post Author
