MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Wichita State advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Championship with a 73-57 win over ECU. The Shockers advance to take on No. 3 seed Temple at 8 p.m. on Friday.
 
Markis McDuffie led the Shockers with 15 points, while Jaime Echenique had 14 points and nine rebounds. Dexter Dennis finished with 13 points, while Asbjorn Midtgaard had 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Jayden Gardner led the Pirates with 16 points, while Shawn Williams added 14.
 
In the first half, WSU's defense forced 10 turnovers and the Shockers scored 11 points off of them. McDuffie led the Shockers with nine points in the first half, while Dennis added eight.
 
A defensive hustle play by Brown and Burton got the ball to Dennis for a three to put the Shockers up 20-14 at the 8:24 mark to force an ECU timeout.
 
The Shocker defense held ECU without a field goal for 4:22 and took a 24-16 lead during the drought.
 
Back-to-back threes by Stevenson pushed the Shocker lead to 33-20 at the 2:57 mark as WSU was on a 9-0 run.
 
Two McDuffie free throws and a Haynes-Jones jumper put WSU up 39-27 at the break.
 
A Torres steal and Haynes-Jones three-point play helped the Shockers pull away to a 55-34 advantage with 15:53 left in the game. WSU's defense held the Pirates scoreless for over three minutes as the Shockers built a 58-34 lead.
 
A 6-0 Shocker run extended the lead to 69-42 with six minutes left in the game.
 
The Shockers are next in action on Fri., March 15 against No. 3 seed Temple at 8 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Championship. The game will be televised on ESPNU.