The Memphis Tigers Men’s Basketball Team defeated the Wichita State Shockers 88-78 in a game that showed Tiger dominance on both sides of the court.
Senior forward DeAndre Williams led the way for the Tigers with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
The Tigers rallied together in a team effort that left Wichita State without an answer, despite a slow start early in the game.
The Shockers led by as much as eight points with just under 8 minutes left to play in the first half. Although, the Tigers finished the first half with momentum by a score of 36-30.
It was the second half push from Memphis that left the Shockers defenseless.
A dynamic trio of Williams, Kendric Davis, and Keonte Kennedy made plays on both offense and defense. Davis, coming off a game-winner vs. Temple, finished with 20 points and 5 assists. Kennedy pitched in a couple of second half threes and finished with 16 points.
The Tigers continue to win close games as they still deal with injuries from key players such as Alex Lomax, Malcolm Dandridge, and Jayden Hardaway.
This has given some players from the bench a chance to truly show their talent with extra playing time. One of those players being Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu.
Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu may not be the flashiest player, but he has been the overlooked glue that has held the Tigers defense together.
Though only producing 4 points, Akobundu-Ehiogu made his presence felt. He finished with a game-high five blocks, as well as providing a great deal of momentum and hustle plays.
Going into the game, he was tied for first for blocks per game in the American Athletic Conference. The big man gave a spark to the Tigers defense late and helped lead them to victory.
The Tigers will travel to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats at 12 p.m. CT this Sunday. They return to Memphis next Thursday versus SMU to defend their 15 straight home game winning streak at the FedExForum.
