MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Wichita State fell 85-74 to Memphis, Thursday night at FedExForum in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
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Kyvon Davenport paced Memphis (9-5, 1-0) with 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He was 9-for-11 at the foul line. Antwaan Jones (16) and Jeremiah Martin (11) joined him in double-figures.
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Wichita State (7-6, 0-1 American) dropped consecutive games for the first time this season.
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Markis McDuffie scored 19 points to lead a group of four Shockers in double-figures.
Samajae Haynes-Jones added 15 points and six assists. Freshmen
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler and
Dexter Dennis tacked on 12 points each.
Ricky Torres dished out a career-high eight assists in 23 turnover-free minutes.
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Poor Bear-Chandler saw extended action in the absence of backup center
Morris Udeze (shoulder) and made the most of the opportunity. He was 5-of-7 from the field and nailed both three-point attempts in 22 minutes. His 12 points was eight more than his previous best, and five rebounds were also a career-high.
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McDuffie posted his 12
th-consecutive double-figure scoring game. That streak is tied for the fourth-longest of the Marshall Era.
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Memphis (50.0 percent) outshot the Shockers (39.4 percent) from the field and outscored them by 19 at the foul line. The Tigers were plus-four in turnovers (15-11) and plus-six on the boards (35-29).
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Shockers' 33 three-point attempts was tied for the fourth-highest single-game total in school history. Haynes-Jones' 12 attempts also tied for the third-most by a Shocker individual. WSU made 10 three-pointers but shot just 30.3 percent from deep. The
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WSU shot 100 percent at the foul line, albeit on just six attempts. Memphis went to the line 31 times and sank 25. The Tigers outscored the Shockers, 44-26 in the paint and 20-11 off turnovers.
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WSU led by as many as four points early. Haynes-Jones' three-pointer made it a 20-16 Shocker lead near the 7:30-mark of the first half.
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Memphis outscored the Shockers 28-12 over the remainder of the half to take a 44-32 advantage into the locker room.
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Poor Bear-Chandler scored 10 of his 12 points in 10 first-half minutes to lead all scorers. He also picked up three fouls.
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WSU opened the second half with a 9-2 push. McDuffie's three-point play closed the gap to 48-44 with 15:56 to go.
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The Shockers would never get any closer.
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Memphis used a 6-0 run and built its lead back to 11.
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WSU rallied to within six (59-53; 9:42) and later seven points (81-74; 2:06) but couldn't sustain momentum.
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Up Next:
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The Shockers return home Sunday afternoon to face Temple (10-3, 0-1 American). The 3 p.m. CT tip airs on ESPNEWS.
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