PJ Haggerty scored 42 points on 16-for-25 shooting to help No. 16 Memphis hold on for an 83-80 win over Wichita State in the quarterfinal round of the American Athletic Conference tournament on Friday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dain Dainja added 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting for Memphis (27-5), which advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday. The top-seeded Tigers will play the winner of Friday’s game between Florida Atlantic and Tulane.
Bijan Cortes scored 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting to lead eighth-seeded Wichita State (19-14). Xavier Bell tallied 18 points and Ronnie DeGray III finished with 14 for the Shockers.
Memphis won the rebound battle 42-29. The Tigers took advantage of their size and strength on the interior to post a 38-18 edge in points in the paint.
Wichita State started strong as it grabbed a 20-10 lead with 14:46 to go in the first half. Cortes knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Shockers on top by double digits.
Memphis rallied with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to one point with 12:16 remaining in the half. Haggerty made a tip shot to punctuate the scoring run.
By halftime, the score was tied at 39-all. Haggerty scored the final three points of the half.
The Tigers pulled ahead by as many as 11 points in the second half. Haggerty led the charge once again as he grabbed a defensive rebound and made a jump shot on the opposite end to give Memphis a 72-61 advantage with 6:34 to play.
Wichita State clawed back within three points in the final minute. Bell made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 79-76 with 26 seconds left.
Memphis called a timeout to regroup, and it held firm for the rest of the way.
The Tigers’ Tyrese Hunter and the Shockers’ Bell traded two free throws apiece, which made it 81-78 in favor of Memphis with 12 seconds left. Haggerty sank two free throws next to increase the Tigers’ lead to 83-78 with 10 seconds to go.
DeGray added a layup with two seconds remaining to pull Wichita State within 83-80.
Haggerty grabbed a rebound before the buzzer to seal the victory and prevent the Shockers from trying a last-gasp 3-point attempt.
–Field Level Media
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