Wichita State men’s basketball’s run through the American Athletic Conference Championship ended in the quarterfinals against the University of Memphis.
The No. 8 Shockers tried making a late-game comeback after No. 1 Memphis ripped off a 12-0 run early in the second half, but ultimately came up short as Wichita State lost, 83-80, on Friday afternoon.
While disappointed with how the game ended, Wichita State head coach Paul Mills said he was happy about the team’s ability to stand in and fight, not just during Friday’s contest but the whole season.
“We were 1-7 through our first eight (conference) games,” Mills said. “And I’ve been around enough players to know when people will tap out. And that just wasn’t this group.
“As I shared with them, (it’s been) an absolute joy just to be around them every day at practice … It’s one of those situations where I’m just so thankful for just who these guys are and the things that they’ve contributed to this program.”
WSU ended its season at 19-14 overall, a four-win improvement in Mills’ second season at the helm.
Senior guard Xavier Bell said he is “super thankful” to share the court with the group of guys he did this season.
“(It) just shows, you know, how much fight we have,” Bell said. “… I’m just super grateful for the opportunity to share the court with these guys and to be able to go out there and just compete, playing a game that we love.”
Memphis’ sophomore guard PJ Haggerty caused trouble for Wichita State’s defense all game as he scored a career-high 42 points. Haggerty’s performance tied an AAC Championship record that was set by Russ Smith for the University of Louisville in 2014.
Haggerty said he knew it was going to be his night after making back-to-back shots in the first half.
“I was just trying to find a feel for where I can get my shots at,” Haggerty said. “I think last time we lost (to WSU), it was an upsetting feeling — so I didn’t want that to happen again.”
Cortes scored a team-high 19 points on 6-14 shooting, which included a 5-9 mark from deep. Bell trailed Cortes with 18 points. The two guards combined for eight turnovers, however.
Coming off two of his best performances in his college career, Cortes said his teammates were there to give him the extra boost of energy and that he’s proud of them.
“Just the whole team being confident in me helped me a lot, for sure,” Cortes said.
The Shockers’ deficit was almost cut to two points, but senior center Quincy Ballard was called for a goaltending on a putback slam. Memphis drained a 3-pointer almost immediately after, which upped its cushion to seven points with a little over a minute left in the game, 77-70.
Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway said he thought the call on the floor was correct after Ballard was called for the goaltend.
“I thought the ball was still on the rim a little bit,” Hardaway said. “He (Ballard) didn’t let it fully come off. That’s what he does well and just an unfortunate situation for them and a good one for us.”
Mills, on the other hand, thought differently than Hardaway.
“There’s enough screenshots out there,” Mills said. “And that one’s pretty apparent. That one’s not hard (to call).”
Bell sank late game free throws that put Wichita State within three points on multiple occasions, but the Tigers did, too, as they walked away with the win.
The Tigers controlled the boards throughout the game, out rebounding Wichita State 42-29, which included a plus-six mark on the offensive glass. Memphis converted 19 second-chance points to the Shockers’ eight.
Mills said the margin of error is slim in tight games like this one.
“Every free throw matters, every shot matters,” Mills said. “And it’s not just at the end of the game. I mean something could happen at the 18 minute-mark of the first half … the margin is thin this time of year. And you have to be on point about a lot of things and I’m just proud of our guys.”
Junior forward Corey Washington and Cortes picked up where they left off after Thursday’s win against the University of South Florida, knocking home 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the first half as the Shockers rode out to a 14-8 lead.
Two deep balls later and the Shockers busted open a 10-point cushion, 20-10. Cortes swished home his second trey of the half after a step back ankle-breaker, which forced the Tigers to call timeout after the ball hit the bottom of the net.
In a reversal of trends throughout the season, the Shockers shot well from beyond the arc, while Memphis controlled the paint. The Tigers scored 20 more points in the paint than WSU, while the Shockers shot 10-24 (42%) from deep, the most made 3-pointers for the team since the opening game of the season.
Memphis showed a full court press out of the timeout that caused issues for Wichita State’s rhythm on offense as the Tigers created a 9-0 run, 20-19. During Memphis’ run, the Shockers turned the ball over three times.
In the final two minutes of the half, Memphis went on a quick 6-0 run to claw back to a one-point deficit, 37-36. The teams eventually went into the break tied at 39 and the Shockers ended the half on a 4:32 field goal drought.
Out of halftime, Memphis took its first lead of the game since the 17:48 mark of the first half, 42-40. Wichita State continuously failed to find the bottom of the bucket, and the Memphis fans grew louder and louder. The Tigers then went on the 12-0 run to open up an 11-point lead, 56-45, the largest lead by either team at that point.
Bell said that Memphis’ 12-0 run didn’t phase the team.
“We were able to fight back from it,” Bell said. “We knew the game of basketball and they’re going to go on runs. It’s just about, you know, sticking together on those runs and just trying to find solutions to kind of withstand that run.”
Fifth-year guard AJ McGinnis found a solution with a 3-pointer, which allowed Wichita State to rally back within five points as the team knocked home three straight attempts from the floor, 58-53.
The Shockers never got back within one possession, though, as the teams played tit-for-tat for the next four minutes of game time and Memphis regained its double-digit advantage.
With six minutes left in the game, all the Tigers needed to do was hold on. Wichita State had other plans, however, and used a 9-2 run to bring its deficit back to four points with 3:04 remaining, 74-70. But the late-game comeback attempt fell short.
Mills said in the seniors’ final game, they’ve achieved the legacy of leaving the program better than when they found it.
“It’s (like) the Muhammad Ali quote, right? ‘I run in the dark so I can dance in the light,’” Mills said. “What I don’t think people realize is how much running in the dark is actually done. Like, these guys put in a lot of time on their game and their effort … nothing but gratitude for every single guy who put on a Wichita State jersey.”
