The No.1 seed Memphis Tigers defeated the No.8 seed Wichita State Shockers 83-80 in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament. The Shockers upset the Tigers in their last meeting on February 16.
Pj Haggerty scored a career high 42 points and was extra motivated for this one for multiple reasons. After the game, Haggerty waved goodbye to the Shocker's bench and their fans.
Haggerty was not a fan of how the Shockers were acting after their win in February. Haggerty said, " They was talking like kinda crazy, so I had to get that get back." Not only was he eager to avenge the Tiger's past loss, he also found motivation in the win or go home aspect of the post season. He put it simply, "It's March. It's time to hoop."
Coach Hardaway and teammate Dain Dainja were not shocked by Haggerty's performance and Hardaway credited his career game to his God given ability to score the basketball.
The 42-point performance ties Haggerty for most points scored in the AAC tournament.
The Tigers took their only lead of the first half at 17:48 when Haggerty converted at the free throw line. Memphis trailed by 10 points after Wichita State found success from the perimeter, but thanks to a nine-point run from Haggerty and Dainja, they cut the deficit to one.
The Tigers failed to come away with complimentary baskets when their defense stopped the Shockers, and could not capitalize on defense after scoring. Pj Haggerty accounted for 21 of the Tiger's 39 points in the first half. Despite this, the score was tied going into the locker rooms.
Memphis shot 1-9 from beyond the arc in the first half, the only make coming from Pj Carter.
The Tigers could not separate themselves from the Shockers until the 15:43 mark when Dain Dainja finished in the paint to spark a run. While Dainja started the 12-0 run, Haggerty was the main contributor with nine points. Memphis led 56-45 with 13:22 to go.
With valuable minutes from PJ Carter and Baraka Okojie, the Tigers managed to hold onto their lead. They led by 10 at the 8-minute mark after Okojie converted on a fast break layup.
However, the Shockers stayed consistent and looked to the paint and charity stripe for points. They cut the deficit to four with 3:30 left to play. Center Moussa Cisse fouled out halfway through the half, leaving the painted area vulnerable.
Tyrese Hunter, who finished with eight points, six rebounds, and seven assists, sunk a triple at 2:09 to give Memphis a 77-70 lead.
The field goal made at the 3:30 mark was the last one for the Shockers until the final seconds of the game. Every other point came from the free throw line.
The Shockers started fouling early, and sent Okojie to the line with 1:01 remaining where he missed the first half of a one and one, opening the door for Wichita State. They trailed by three after a pair of free throws.
Both squads traded free throws until Wichita State had a chance to tie with one second remaining. The Shockers trailed by three with Harlond Beverly at the line, but after missing the first attempt, they could not get a shot up, ending the game.
Memphis finished shooting 29-64(45.3%) from the field and 3-15(20.0%) from the perimeter. They turned the ball over 15 times compared to their 17 assists. However, they forced 17 turnovers and scored 29 points off takeaways.
The Tigers out rebounded the Shockers 42-29.
Not only did Haggerty score 42, but he did it while shooting 16-25, while shooting 0-2 from beyond the arc.The only other Tiger to finish in double-digits was Dain Dainja. Dainja scored 18 points and blocked three shots.
Memphis will face the winner of Tulane versus FAU on Saturday. Tip off is set for 2.P.M. as the Tigers look to continue their conference domination.
