RECAP: No. 13 Memphis routs Wichita State for 10th-straight win

Memphis basketball made a statement Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers (15-2, 4-0 AAC) defeated Wichita State 112-86 in what turned into a laugher in the second half. No. 13 Memphis should become a top-10 team in the AP Top 25 with the win, since six top-10 teams lost this week—five of them losing to unranked opponents. Penny Hardaway’s team, meanwhile, now owns a 10-game winning streak.

Memphis shot 65% from the field and 63% from 3-point range. The Tigers even made a school-record 19 3-pointers. They also outrebounded the Shockers 29-24, and racked up 18 forced turnovers, 10 steals, 5 blocks and 25 assists.

Wichita State (8-8, 0-3 AAC) hit 55% of its field goal attempts and 52% of its 3-point shots. The Shockers also compiled 10 forced turnovers, 5 steals, 7 blocks and 13 assists despite the loss. They lead the game for just over 11 minutes, most of that coming in the first half.

Memphis returns to FedExForum Thursday night for a meeting with South Florida.

Here are some takeaways from the Tigers’ fourth-straight conference win.

Jaykwon Walton shows out in his return to Wichita

The former Shocker made his presence known immediately, even though he was booed by the Wichita State faithful.

Walton started Sunday’s game by scoring Memphis’ first five points on back-to-back possessions. The 6-foot-7 wing finished the first half with 11 points and 2 blocks while shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Jahvon Quinerly (12) and Malcolm Dandridge (10) also gave Memphis double-figure points in the opening period.

The 22-year-old senior continued his dominance in the second half with 12 points and a 3-of-4 clip from 3-point range. Walton finished the game with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

Memphis wing Jaykwon Walton (@WaltonJaykwon) balled OUT for Memphis in their dominant win over Wichita State.

23 PTS
6-8 3PT
8-12 FG
3 REB
3 AST

Walton bounced back in a big way against his former team.@BluffCity_Media | #GTG🐅 pic.twitter.com/40845toR2O

— Hitmen Hoops Media (@HitmenHoops) January 14, 2024

No defense allowed

Memphis’ defensive struggles against UTSA carried over into Sunday’s game.

For all 49 points it scored in the game’s first 20 minutes, Wichita State had an answer. The Tigers shot 60% from the field and 58% from beyond the arc during the period, and the Shockers responded by making 61% of their field goal attempts and 60% of their 3-point shots. The game didn’t even have a stoppage for the first 7:08. The first half also saw 15 lead changes, and Memphis ended up with a 3-point advantage at halftime.

The Tigers guarded the Shockers much better in the second half, though. Hardaway’s club started the period on a 33-12 run, giving it a 21-point lead with 12:56 left in the game. Memphis never looked back from there, forcing 9 Wichita State turnovers and holding Paul Mills’ team to 40 points in the second half.

David Jones changes everything

Jones, the Tigers’ leading scorer (21 points per game), was relatively quiet in the first half. Memphis scored 49 points during the period, but the St. John’s transfer scored just two of them while shooting 1-of-5 from the field.

That changed completely after halftime. Jones scored 15 points in the second half’s first five minutes, including three perimeter shots in that span. His run helped Memphis to a 16-point lead, which eventually went has high as a 26-point advantage in the second half. Jones finished the afternoon with 19 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds while shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 3-of-8 from 3-point range.

Quinerly and Walton ended up as the Tigers’ co-leading scorers with 23 points apiece, with the former shooting 9-of-15 overall and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Quinerly also compiled 11 assists and 4 steals.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Nick Jourdain had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Dandridge finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.