WICHITA, Kan. - A tough road stretch continued for Memphis on Saturday evening.
The Tigers dropped a 74-59 decision at Wichita State inside Charles Koch Arena, struggling to find rhythm on either end in snowy Wichita as the Shockers built an early lead and never let go. Penny Hardaway seemed demoralized after the game at Wichita State.
Memphis (9-10, 4-3 American Conference) fell behind quickly, trailing 22-8 in the opening eight minutes and by as many as 24 points in the game. The Tigers shot just 3-for-19 from three-point range and finished with 17 turnovers, making it difficult to mount consistent offense against a Wichita State team that controlled tempo from the opening tip.
Wichita State (13-8, 5-3 American) was fueled by balanced scoring, with Kenyon Giles (14 points), Karon Boyd (14), Dillon Battie (13) and Will Berg (10) all reaching double figures. Early shot-making from Brian Amuneke helped the Shockers seize momentum in the first half.
Memphis went into the break down 40-22 after struggling to generate ball movement early, recording its first assist on its fourth made field goal of the game, a corner three by Ashton Hardaway.
The Tigers, however, showed fight in the second half. After falling into a 24-point hole, Memphis pieced together a 26-13 run over an 11-minute stretch, capped by a Curtis Givens III three-pointer that trimmed the deficit to 69-58 with 5:28 remaining.
But the comeback stalled there, as the Shockers answered each push and closed out the 15-point win.
Givens III led Memphis with 11 points. Aaron Bradshaw added 10 points, a season-high nine rebounds and two steals, while Simon Majok also chipped in 10, which came all in the second half.
The loss drops Memphis to 1-6 in true road games this season and marks the third straight conference road setback.
\POSTGAME NOTES
Starting Five: Memphis opened with a starting lineup of Dug McDaniel, Quante Berry, Curtis Givens III, Hasan Abdul Hakim and Aaron Bradshaw. It’s the third time this season that lineup has started a game. Shooting: Memphis shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the floor and went just 3-of-19 from beyond the three-point line (15.8%). The Tigers shot 8-of-11 at the free throw stripe.On the other side, Wichita State drilled 9-of-26 from distance. Turnovers: Memphis committed 17 turnovers, which the Shockers turned into 17 points. Defense: Memphis allowed Wichita State to shoot 45.2 percent overall (30-of-67) and forced the Shockers into just 13 turnovers.The Tigers scored 15 points off those miscues. Bench Production: Memphis got 29 points from its bench. Rebounding: Memphis got outrebounded, 40-36, including a 12-to-9 mark on the offensive glass. Ball Movement: Memphis dished out just eight assists, tying a season low for the Tigers (8 at Louisville). Curtis Givens III led the Tigers in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 25 minutes. Aaron Bradshaw just missed a double-double with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds and two steals.Bradshaw shot 5-of-9 overall and swiped two steals in 24 minutes. Simon Majok came off the bench to drop 10 points with three rebounds. He scored all 10 points in the second half after playing just three minutes before the break. Julius Thedford finished with seven points and six boards, while Ashton Hardaway and Zach Davis each recorded six points.
UP NEXT
Memphis returns home next week for a pair of matches against top American teams. The Tigers welcome Florida Atlantic to FedExForum on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPNU, before Tulane comes to town on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.