Ballard leads Wichita State to 84-79 OT win over No. 14 Memphis

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Quincy Ballard scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime to help Wichita State beat No. 14 Memphis 84-79 on Sunday.

Bijan Cortes hit a 3 to give the Shockers a 78-77 lead with 1:10 remaining in OT. Wichita State never relinquished the lead from that point.

Wichita State (15-10, 5-7 AAC) won its fourth-straight game and first over a ranked opponent in the regular season since 2021. The Shockers had five players in double figures. Corey Washington had a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

The Tigers (21-5, 11-2) saw their eight-game winning-streak end. Tyrese Hunter led the Tigers with 24 points. Moussa Cisse had a double-double for Memphis with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Wichita State took a 32-28 lead into halftime highlighted by an 11-3 run in the final 5:28 of the opening 20 minutes.

Ballard leads Wichita State to 84-79 OT win over No. 14 Memphis | iNFOnews.ca
Wichita State’s Harlond Beverly, right, defends against Memphis’s Tyrese Hunter during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Travis Heying)

Ronnie DeGray III hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 71-71 with 18 seconds left for the Shockers to force overtime. The Tigers scored the first four points in OT before the Shockers took over.

Takeaways

Wichita State: The Shockers limited Memphis’ leading scorer PJ Haggerty to just two points in the first half and 14 in total. Wichita State controlled the rebound battle outrebounding the Tigers 54-45.

Memphis: The Tigers struggled shooting going 27-for-75 from the floor.

Key moment

Ballard leads Wichita State to 84-79 OT win over No. 14 Memphis | iNFOnews.ca
Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway yells at his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wichita State, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Travis Heying)

Cortes hit the key 3-pointer to give the Shockers the lead with just 1:10 left in overtime. He had missed his first two 3-point attempts in the game.

Key stat

Wichita State shot just 19% as a team from three-point range, but made the key ones to spark the win.

Up next

Wichita State goes to Florida Atlantic on Thursday. Memphis will get a week off before hosting Florida Atlantic next Sunday.

Ballard leads Wichita State to 84-79 OT win over No. 14 Memphis | iNFOnews.ca
Wichita State’s Harlond Beverly, right, shoots against Memphis defenders Dain Dainja, left, and Nicholas Jourdain during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Travis Heying)
Ballard leads Wichita State to 84-79 OT win over No. 14 Memphis | iNFOnews.ca
Memphis’ Moussa Cisse (32) blocks the shot of Wichita State’s Bijan Cortes during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Travis Heying)

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