No. 13 Memphis explodes in second half to beat Wichita State

Jan 14, 2024; Wichita, Kansas, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Jaykwon Walton (10) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Wichita State Shockers at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Jahvon Quinerly scored 23 points and matched his career best of 11 assists and No. 13 Memphis recorded its 10th consecutive victory by rolling to a 112-86 win over Wichita State in American Athletic Conference play on Sunday afternoon in Wichita, Kan.

Jaykwon Walton made a career-best six 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the Tigers (15-2, 4-0 AAC) while playing in Wichita for the first time since leaving the Shockers’ program in July. Walton led Wichita State in scoring last season at 13.9 points per game.

David Jones scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half for Memphis, which broke out after winning its first three AAC games by a total of 12 points. Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored 14 points and Nick Jourdain had 12.

Colby Rogers scored 20 points and Harlond Beverly added 17 points and six assists for Wichita State (8-8, 0-3), which has lost five straight games and seven of eight. Dalen Ridgnal had 15 points.

The Tigers improved to 9-1 against Wichita State during Penny Hardaway’s coaching tenure. Sunday’s victory was Memphis’ seventh straight against the Shockers.

Memphis, which outscored Wichita State 63-40 after halftime, shot 64.7 percent from the field and connected on 19 of 30 3-point attempts. Quinerly made 5 of 6 shots from long range and Walton went 6-for-8.

The Shockers made 55 percent of their shots and 13 of 25 from 3-point range.

Rogers made two treys in the first 50 seconds of the second half to tie it at 52 before Memphis took over.

Jones scored 15 points during a 17-4 burst that saw the Tigers take a 69-56 lead with 15:25 left in the game. Jones made three treys during the run.

Memphis later scored eight straight points with Quinerly’s 3-pointer making it 80-60 with 13:21 remaining.

The Tigers added a 16-5 run to increase their lead to 27 with 8:08 remaining.

Wichita State went on a 13-2 surge to move within 16 on a dunk by Beverly with 4:14 remaining. But Quinerly answered with a 3-pointer from nearly 30 feet away to give Memphis a 103-84 lead with 3:49 left and the Tigers finished off their victory.

Memphis led 49-46 at halftime after a stellar shooting half by both teams.

Memphis shot 60.6 percent from the field, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range. Quinerly scored 12 points, Walton added 11 and Malcolm Dandridge had all 10 of his points for the Tigers.

The Shockers connected on 60 percent from the field and 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Ridgnal had 13 points and Beverly scored 11 for Wichita State.

–Field Level Media

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