FORT WORTH, Texas —
PJ Haggerty – in his first game since being named AAC Player of the Year – had the best game of his career, dropping a career-high 42 points to carry
Memphis basketball to a 83-80 win over Wichita State on Friday. The 17
th -ranked and top-seeded Tigers (27-5) advance to the AAC tournament semifinals, where they will face the Tulane-FAU winner Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN2) at Dickies Arena. Haggerty's 42 points tied the AAC tournament record, previously held by Louisville's Russ Smith, who scored 42 in the semifinals against Houston in 2014. Haggerty's previous high was 32. Sporting the KD4 “Scoring Title” sneakers, the AAC’s leading scorer was nearly unstoppable against the Shockers (19-14) – who were the last team to beat the Tigers this season on Feb. 16 and the program that ended Memphis’ season in the same building exactly one year ago to the day. "It's March. It's win or go home. I'm not trying to go home," Haggerty said after the game. It wasn’t all Haggerty. Dain Dainja, the Tigers’ other unanimous first-team all-AAC selection, finished with 18 points and PJ Carter came off the bench to hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers. During Memphis’ 12-0 run in the second half that put it up 56-45, Haggerty scored nine points. During a 9-0 run early in the first half that cut Wichita State’s lead from 20-10 to 20-19, Haggerty had six points. During a 9-2 run over the final 2:20 of the first half, Haggerty scored all nine points. And it was Haggerty, who delivered in crunch time. His mid-range floater with 32 seconds left in the game went through to give Memphis some much-needed breathing room. Haggerty and Dainja’s performances were very necessary. Memphis’ other three starters – Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers and Nicholas Jourdain – combined for just eight points (all from Hunter). His 3-pointer with 2:09 to play extended the Tigers' lead to 77-70, and he hit two free throws with 20.3 seconds to put Memphis up 81-76.
Wichita State was pesky again
The Shockers have given the Tigers fits this season. Memphis had to claw through a win at FedExForum in January, overcoming 20 turnovers. Then, a month ago, the Shockers dropped the Tigers in overtime in Wichita, Kansas. Bijan Cortes, Ronnie DeGray III, Quincy Ballard and Co. came out Friday and put Memphis on its heels early. The Shockers made six of their first seven field goals and eight of their first 11 (which included six 3-pointers on their first eight attempts). Led by Cortes’ 11 first-half points, Wichita State had five players with at least five points before halftime, and it led for more than 15 minutes. The Shockers also kept it close late, cutting it to a 74-70 Memphis lead with 3:32 to play. A tip-in from Ballard that would have made it a two-point game a minute later was waved off after a replay due to goaltending.
Dain Dainja plays through pain
The Tigers’ unanimous first-team all-AAC big man got off to a fine start versus the Shockers. He put up 10 points, one rebound and one block in the first 13-plus minutes of the first half. Shortly afterward, though, Dainja began to favor his right shoulder. He stayed in the game for the next few minutes, but came out with 3:46 to go before halftime. Dainja stayed on the bench until the break, sporting a bulky brace on his right shoulder. During one timeout, head trainer Darrell Turner administered a series of stretching exercises and Dainja grimaced through them. Dainja was back on the floor to start the second half. He blocked a shot in the first minute and converted it on the other end with a fast-break layup that gave the Tigers their first lead since the 17:48 mark in the first half. It was a lead they never gave back. Dainja also grabbed five rebounds and had three blocks.
Memphis basketball plays through foul trouble
The Tigers were plagued by foul trouble. Backup center Moussa Cisse fouled out with 11:34 remaining in the game, finishing with four points, four rebounds, one block and one steal. Rogers also was limited by foul issues. He was whistled for his fourth foul with 15:53 left in the game and eventually fouled out with 1.3 seconds remaining.
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