PJ Haggerty scored a career-high 42 points to lead Memphis to an 83-80 win over Wichita State in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth on Friday.
Haggerty scored nine points during a 12-0 run in the second half to help the Tigers take control of the game. The win avenged a loss to Wichita State in last year’s conference tournament. Memphis is 2-1 against the Shockers this season.
“I was just trying to play my hardest. I’m not trying to go home. I wanted to do what I could to get the win,” Haggerty said.
The sophomore guard was named AAC Player of the Year after winning the conference’s Newcomer of the Year award as a member of Tulsa’s 2023-24 squad. He transferred to Memphis in the offseason.
“When you’re the man, you’re expected to produce. There are no excuses at this time of the year. When your team wins, you play well; if you don’t play well, your team loses. That’s the pressure you have to have on yourself,” said Tigers coach Penny Hardaway.
Haggerty’s scoring output matched an AAC tournament record set by Louisville guard Russ Smith in 2014.
He also recorded nine rebounds and four assists. Haggerty averaged 21.2 points per game in the regular season, which ranked fifth in NCAA Division I. The 6-foot-3 guard reached that average early, scoring 21 points in the first half, helping Memphis overcome a poor shooting performance that led to an early 20-10 deficit.
It was the third game this season in which Haggerty scored 20 or more points in a half.
Memphis overcame its shooting struggles with hustle. Wichita State made 6 of 13 shots from beyond the arc in the first half, compared to just 1 of 9 for Memphis. However, the Tigers outrebounded the Shockers 37-27, leading to several extra scoring opportunities.
Tigers center Dain Dainja added 18 points and five rebounds. The senior transfer from Illinois was named AAC Newcomer of the Year.
Both teams entered the second half tied at 39. Memphis took the lead when Haggerty found Dainja for an easy layup early in the second period. During the 12-0 run, Haggerty extended the Tigers’ lead to 58-48 with a layup off the glass with 12:42 to go.
The Shockers chipped away at the margin, but a layup from Baraka Okojie put Memphis back up 69-59 with under 10 minutes remaining.
“Baraka Okojie gave us energy at the beginning. The energy was electric. We didn’t have the energy to start the game. He came in and pressured the ball. PJ Carter and Moussa came in and did the exact same thing,” Hardaway said.
A layup by Xavier Bell cut the lead to 74-70 with 3:15 left. A basket by Wichita State center Quincy Ballard would have trimmed the margin to two points, but he was called for basket interference.
With 26.4 seconds left, Bell made a pair of free throws to make it 79-76. Forced to foul, the Shockers sent Tyrese Hunter to the line, where he sank both shots to put Memphis up 81-76. Both teams traded free throws before time expired.
Wichita State was led by Brandon Cortes, who scored 19 points and added five assists. He was joined in double figures by Bell, who had 18 points, and Ronnie DeGray III, who scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Memphis will face No. 4 seed Tulane in the semifinals on Saturday. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. Central on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The Tigers won both meetings with Tulane this season.
