Shockers Edge Tigers Late at FedExForum, 88-82

Thursday, February 26

Memphis, Tenn.

8:00 PM

University of Memphis

12-16,7-8American

Wichita State

19-10,11-5American

Wichita St.

Memphis

Feb 26, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For stretches Thursday night at FedExForum, Memphis looked like a team ready to flip its momentum.

In the end, Wichita State had the final answers.

The Tigers dropped an 88-82 decision to the Shockers, falling to 12-16 overall and 7-8 in the American Conference. Wichita State improved to 19-10 and 11-5, handing Memphis its fifth straight loss.

Memphis shot an efficient 51.6 percent from the field and committed just seven turnovers, but the difference showed up on the glass and at the foul line. Wichita State owned a 44-27 rebounding advantage, including an 18-6 edge on the offensive boards, which led to a 19-7 margin in second-chance points. The Shockers also converted 26 free throws - more than Memphis attempted (17).

Senior point guard Dug McDaniel delivered one of his strongest outings of the season, pouring in a season-high 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting while adding four rebounds and three assists. Quante Berry provided a major lift off the bench with a season-high 22 points on 10-of-13 from the floor, helping Memphis generate 33 bench points on the night.

Despite playing shorthanded, the Tigers controlled the early tempo and led by five midway through the first half, thanks to 10 early points from McDaniel. Memphis, however, trailed 40-35 at the break and fell behind by as many as 13 early in the second half before mounting a charge.

Over a 12-minute stretch, the Tigers outscored Wichita State 38-24 and reclaimed the lead, 82-81, on Zach Davis' layup with 1:43 to play. But the Shockers closed on a 7-0 run, highlighted by free throws and a late three-pointer, to seal the outcome.

Sincere Parker added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Tariq Ingraham chipped in seven points in 17 minutes.

Memphis finished with 32 points in the paint and 17 points off turnovers but was unable to overcome Wichita State's physical presence inside and steady production at the stripe.

POSTGAME NOTES

Starting Five: Memphis opened with a starting lineup of Dug McDaniel, Curtis Givens III, Julius Thedford, Sincere Parker and Thierno Sylla.
- It's the 16^th different starting lineup this season for the Tigers.
Shooting: Memphis shot 51.6 percent from the field (32-of-62) and went just 4-of-9 from the three-point line (35.7%) while knocking down 13-of-17 at the free-throw line (76.5%).
- It's tied for the fourth-fewest makes for the Tigers this season from behind the arc and the third time in the last four games that they've made just four.
  - Memphis fell to 68-4 under Penny Hardaway when shooting 50 percent or better and had been a perfect 44-0 at home in such performances over the last eight seasons.
    - It marked the first home loss when shooting at least 50 percent since Dec. 15, 2012 against Louisville, ending a 75-game home winning streak in those circumstances.
Turnovers: Memphis committed only seven turnovers, tied for the fewest of the season.
- It's the first time since Dec. 6 (vs. Baylor) that the Tigers have turned it over fewer than 10 times.
Defense: The Tigers allowed Wichita State to shoot 43.3 percent overall (29-of-67), including 18-of-27 after halftime for a 66.7-percent clip.
- The Shockers were limited to just 4-of-20 from the three-point line, marking the 16^th game this season Memphis has held its opponent to fewer than 30% from long distance.
  - Wichita State connected on 26-of-33 from the free throw stripe, giving the Shockers a +16 advantage in free throw attempts and +13 in free throw makes.
    - Memphis also recorded six steals and three blocks.
Bench Production: The Tigers' bench scored 33 points, the most by Memphis in six games.
Rebounding: Wichita State outrebounded Memphis, 44-27, including 18-6 in offensive boards
- Memphis' -17 rebounding margin matched its largest deficit of the season, while the -12 differential on the offensive glass marked its biggest disadvantage this year.
Ball Movement: Memphis matched its season low with just seven assists; both instances have come in the last four games.
Dug McDaniel led the Tigers with a season high 29 points, four rebounds and three assists in a team-high 35 minutes.
- He shot 11-of-19 overall and scored 16 of his points after halftime.
  - It's his 19^th game this season in double figures and the fourth with 20-plus.
Quante Berry added a season high 22 points and matched his season bests with five rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes.
- The Cleveland, Tennessee product finished a career-best 10-of-13 shooting and connected on 2-of-3 from distance, while going over the 500-point mark for his career.
  - Berry earned his his fourth double-digit performance of the season and the third 20-point game of his career.
Sincere Parker finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes.
- He made his fourth start of the year, the first since Dec. 17 against Vanderbilt.
  - Parker finished 4-of-16 shooting overall and 6-of-8 at the free throw line where he saw his streak of 38-straight makes from the stripe come to an end.
Tariq Ingraham contributed seven points and two rebounds.
Memphis dropped to 91-12 under Hardaway when scoring 80 or more points and it had won 16 consecutive games when reaching that threshold prior to Thursday.
- The last loss came at Temple on Jan. 16, 2025.

UP NEXT
Memphis makes the trip to East Carolina on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tip on ESPN+.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.