14 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita State Shockers are starting to make some noise in the AAC tournament, as they knocked off the Memphis Tigers in the second round on Thursday, 71-65.
Harlond Beverly was outstanding in the contest, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. He scored five quick points in the final minute of the game to keep the Tigers’ comeback at bay.
Through the first half, the Shockers and Tigers kept things really close, with neither team gaining a sizeable advantage over the other. A quick bucket by Xavier Bell in the final seconds of the first half gave WSU a 35-33 lead.
In the second half, Wichita State pushed the pace on both sides of the ball and grew a lead to as many as 13 points. The game didn’t end there, though, as Memphis would start to claw into the lead and, with seven minutes left in the game, took a 68-67 lead.
From there, the Shockers clamped down and went on a 7-2 run that would give them the lead for the rest of the game.
As a team, the Shockers shot 46.7% from the field and 30.4% from three. The rebounding was also much improved, as they outrebounded the Tigers 44-38.
The only hope the Shockers have at going to the NCAA Tournament is by winning the conference tournament. They have three games left to win to make those dreams happen, starting with a quarterfinal game against Alabama-Birmingham on Friday.
Tip-off for that game is slated for 2 p.m. CST and will air on ESPN2.