Turnovers doom Wichita State’s upset bid in basketball loss at Memphis: 3 takeaways
For the second straight year, Paul Mills led the Wichita State men’s basketball team into Memphis, a place it has historically struggled, and had the game decided in the final minutes.
But for the second straight year, the Tigers found a way to scratch out a win, their seventh straight over the Shockers on their home court, in a 61-53 victory on Thursday night at FedExForum.
Wichita State led for more than 23 minutes and by as many as seven points in the second half, but a season-high 22 turnovers doomed its upset bid for the program’s first ranked road win since 2018.
Harlond Beverly scored a team-high 18 points, while Quincy Ballard finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead Wichita State. The Shockers shot 40% from the field, including a 3-of-16 showing beyond the arc. Memphis was led by a game-high 22 points from P.J. Haggerty.
Memphis (15-4) improved to 5-1 in American Athletic Conference play and pulled into a three-way tie atop the standings with North Texas and UAB, while the Shockers (11-8) dropped to 1-5 in conference play.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Wichita State comes up just short down the stretch
Oftentimes in conference play, the tiniest of details can separate winners and losers. Thursday’s game was a perfect example.
Games are swung by plays like the ones late in the second half when Memphis’ Colby Rogers badly missed an open 3-pointer, then WSU failed to secure the rebound and the ball bounced straight to Tyrese Hunter, who calmly stroked in the second-chance 3 to put the Tigers up 52-51 with 4:28 left.
Or on plays like when WSU played tremendous defense to force Memphis into a contested miss and appeared to come down with the rebound, only for it to be jarred loose. Instead of a stop, WSU paid the price when Memphis’ P.J. Carter scooped up the loose ball and converted a second-chance opportunity for a 54-51 lead with 3:23 left.
WSU had two more chances when it was a one-possession game, but A.J. McGinnis misfired on a deep 3 and Justin Hill turned the ball over late in the shot clock that led to a Hunter dunk at the other end to secure the Memphis win.
2. Turnovers spoil Wichita State’s upset bid
A season-high 22 turnovers spoiled what was a golden opportunity for the Shockers to secure their first ranked road win since 2018.
While Memphis had its own turnover problems with 20 total, WSU squandered its opportunity to fully capitalize with so many ball-handling errors against the pressure of Memphis.
The Shockers led by as many as seven points in the second half, but their advantage dissipated when Corey Washington tried to push the tempo and lost control of the ball, a turnover that was turned into two points at the other end by a Moussa Cisse dunk that put Memphis up, 40-39, for the first time since the first half with 11:17 left.
But the most costly turnovers came in the final two minutes when WSU was trailing 54-51 and Justin Hill lost the ball on a drive that was turned into a fast-break dunk at the other end by Tyrese Hunter. Desperate for a score, WSU immediately turned it over again when Corey Washington’s entry pass to Quincy Ballard was easily picked off.
The Shockers never recovered after that. They finished with 13 turnovers in the second half and turned the ball over on 32% of their possessions.
3. Shockers take halftime lead, as Memphis stumbles
It appeared Memphis was sleepwalking for the majority of the first half, as the Tigers turned the ball over 12 times — many of the self-inflicted variety.
But WSU’s defense deserved credit for forcing Memphis into contested jump shots, as the Tigers shot just 39% from the field and scored a paltry 0.70 points per possession in the first half.
That allowed the Shockers to open up a 27-23 lead at halftime after a first 20 minutes that didn’t feature much flow offensively for either team.
In fact, WSU had plenty of chances to grow its lead even larger in the first half if not for 37% shooting, a 3-for-7 performance from the foul line and nine turnovers of its own.
Upcoming schedule for Shocker basketball
at Tulsa, 2 p.m. (ESPN+) on Sunday, Jan. 26
vs. North Texas, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+) on Wednesday, Jan. 29
at Charlotte, 6 p.m. (ESPN2/U) on Tuesday, Feb. 4
at South Florida, 1 p.m. (ESPN+) on Sunday, Feb. 9
vs. UTSA, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+) on Wednesday, Feb. 12
American Athletic Conference basketball standings
5-1, Memphis (15-4)
5-1, North Texas (14-4)
5-1, UAB (12-7)
4-2, Temple (11-7)
4-2, Tulane (10-9)
3-3, Florida Atlantic (10-9)
3-3, South Florida (10-9)
3-4, East Carolina (11-9)
2-4, Rice (11-8)
2-4, UTSA (8-10)
2-4, Tulsa (8-11)
1-5, Wichita State (11-8)
1-6, Charlotte (8-12)
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM.
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