Memphis basketball smashes Wichita State with second-half dominance. Here are 5 takeaways
WICHITA, Kan. — Twenty minutes in, Memphis basketball was visibly frustrated, having grown tired of the edge-of-your-seat thrillers of the past few weeks.
"We've had enough close games in my mind," coach Penny Hardaway said a week before Sunday's game against Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena.
So, the 13th-ranked Tigers (15-2, 4-0 AAC) did something about it, using a monstrous, 63-point second-half offensive performance to take down the Shockers 112-86. It is the 10th straight victory for Memphis, which will try to make it 11 in a row against USF on Thursday at FedExForum.
It is the first time a Tigers team has scored that many points since scoring 112 in a win over Howard on Jan. 3, 2001. Memphis also set a new program record for 3-pointers with 19.
"All I can say is, 'Wow,'" Hardaway said. "I'm just as shocked as everybody else. We finally made some threes. And when they came, they came in bunches. That pushed the game away."
Jaykwon Walton, in his first game against his former team, and Jahvon Quinerly tied for a team-high 23 points. Quinerly tied a career high with 11 assists.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday's game.
Unprecedented offensive showing
The Tigers' 19 3-pointers against Wichita State (8-8, 0-3) established a program record for most threes made in a single game. The record was had been 16, set against Marquette on Feb. 14, 2004.
Five Memphis players connected on multiple 3-pointers, led by five each from Walton and Quinerly.
"We shoot the ball in practice more than anybody in the country, I guarantee you, working on shots. We haven't been rewarded until this game," Hardaway said. "I was really shocked (by Memphis' struggles shooting the three at times this season), because I felt like this was gonna be one of my best shooting teams, and it just hadn't carried over to the games.
"(But) we made 'em today."
Jahvon Quinerly stays hot
Quinerly, the former Alabama standout, continued his run of next-level play that began with recent back-to-back game-winning 3-pointers at Tulsa and against SMU at FedExForum.
Last time out, Quinerly scored nine of his 26 points in overtime to lift Memphis to a win over UTSA. On Sunday, the New Jersey native stayed unstoppable. When Wichita State's offense scored on eight straight field goals, Quinerly refused to let Memphis get left in the dust. He scored 7 points in a 64-second span to help Memphis keep pace.
"I had a good game plan with the guys," Quinerly said. "I think everybody was very locked in today and we just stuck with it and we were able to pull away."
David Jones' heater sparks pushout
David Jones was quiet in the first half. The Tigers' leading scorer had two points and was 1-of-5 from the field through the first 20 minutes.
Jones shook it off, surfacing in the second half like a lightning strike. He scored 13 points during a span of 3 minutes, 29 seconds soon after halftime. By the time his hot streak was through, Memphis was leading by 13 points, its largest margin in the game to that point.
"We've seen that before. He's a guy that can get going," said Hardaway.
Jones finished with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Tigers bring out opponents' best
Memphis has a knack for bringing out the best in its opponents. Especially at the 3-point line.
Jackson State buried 10 3-pointers versus the Tigers in the season opener, the second-most Mo Williams' team has had this season. Villanova's 13 3-pointers are the second-most of the campaign. Ole Miss' 11 against Memphis are tied for its second-most. Tulsa's 12 deep shots are the third-most. And who can forget UTSA's 17 made threes?
Sunday's game against Wichita State followed a similar script. In the first half, the Shockers were 6-of-10 beyond the arc. They were 13-for-25 in the game.
Jaykwon Walton shines
Walton, the only Memphis player booed during pregame intros, had this game circled. The veteran wing spent last season with the Shockers, leading the team in scoring.
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Memphis didn't waste time getting him involved Sunday. On its first offensive possession, Walton's teammates found him almost immediately along the baseline. He dribbled a few times, then sank a midrange jump shot. Less than a minute later, Walton calmly stroked a 3-pointer.
All told in the first half, Walton was effective offensively, scoring 11 points with one assist. He also contributed two blocks, one rebound and one steal on the defensive end.
Walton finished with 23 points and six made 3-pointers.
"He's been paying his dues all year," said Hardaway. "He's just kinda sacrificed to be one of the guys. I know he wanted to have a great game here. Very familiar with the building. In shootaround yesterday, he barely missed. Before the game, he barely missed. Then, when the game starts, he barely misses. So, he had a great game."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball smashes Wichita State with second-half dominance
