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PJ Haggerty makes a great defensive play for the steal (0:30)

PJ Haggerty makes a great defensive play for the steal (0:30)

Mar 14, 2025, 04:19 PM ET

FORT WORTH, Texas — PJ Haggerty scored a career-high 42 points and led the go-ahead run for 16th-ranked Memphis in an 83-80 win over Wichita State in a quarterfinal game at the American Athletic Conference tournament Friday.

The Tigers (27-5) went ahead to stay with a 12-0 run over a 2½-minute span after halftime in which Haggerty scored nine of those points. Two of his baskets in that spurt came off turnovers by Wichita State (19-14), which knocked the Tigers out of last year’s AAC tournament and is responsible for their only loss in 15 games since Jan. 16.

The 42 points by Haggerty, a sophomore named this week as the AAC player of the year after being the top freshman last season, matched the highest-scoring AAC tournament game. That was one point shy of the record for most scored in any league game.

Haggerty’s 42 points were also tied for the fifth-most in a game in Memphis program history, according to ESPN Research. Additionally, Haggerty scored the most points in a conference tournament game without a made 3-pt field goal since Stony Brook’s Jameel Warney scored 43 in the 2016 America East Championship Game vs Vermont.

TAKEAWAYS

Wichita State: The Shockers lost for the fourth time in five games since a six-game winning streak that included an overtime win over Memphis. Wichita State made four 3s while jumping out to a 20-10 lead in less than 4 1/2 minutes Friday.

Memphis: Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers are already a sure bet for a spot to make the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four years.

KEY MOMENT

Wichita State went from a 35-30 lead to an 11-point deficit after missing 11 field goals in a row over the final 4:32 of the first half and the first 6:14 after halftime.

KEY STAT

Memphis scored 29 points off 17 Wichita State turnovers, and outscored the Shockers 27-9 on fastbreak points.

UP NEXT

Memphis plays in the semifinal round Saturday against Tulane or Florida Atlantic.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.