PROVIDENCE, R.I. - It was a night of impressive performances in the American Athletic Conference as Memphis and Wichita State earned Wednesday night wins. Memphis senior Jeremiah Martin became the first player in American history to record multiple 40-point games and set the single-game scoring record with 43 points as the Tigers rolled past Tulane, 102-76. Martin also tied an American record with 15 made field goals. Wichita State tied a program record with 15 made 3-pointers as the Shockers earned a road win at Tulsa, 81-60.
Wednesday, February 20
Memphis 102, Tulane 76
Memphis guard Jeremiah Martin scored a career-high and American Athletic Conference single game record 43 points and led the Tigers to a 102-76 victory over Tulane Wednesday night at FedExForum.
Martin, who earlier this season scored 41 at USF, became the first Memphis and American Athletic Conference player to score 40 or more points twice in a career. In the second half, he had 26 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals to help the Tigers (16-11, 8-6) pull away from the Green Wave (4-21, 0-13).
Martin has been on a torrid late-season tear. He is averaging 29.6 points over his last six games, a stretch that began when he scored 41 - all in the second half - during a loss at Tampa.
Martin also tied an American Athletic Conference record as he made a career-high 15 field goals. He also had eight assists (only one turnover) and added seven rebounds and five steals.
Martin's 43 points were five shy of the school record set by Larry Finch in the early 1970s. Martin now has six 30 point games in his career and four this season.
Assisting Martin Wednesday were Tyler Harris (16 points, 4 assists), Raynere Thornton (14 points, 9 rebounds), Kareem Brewton (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Kyvon Davenport (10 points, 15 rebounds). The Tigers outrebounded the Green Wave, 56-35, and shot 48.1 percent. Davenport tied a career high in rebounds.
The UofM scored 17 straight to open the second half, nine coming from Martin. When Davenport drove the baseline for a dunk to cap the run, the Tigers held a commanding 26-point lead (64-38).
Memphis led by 18 (47-29) with two minutes remaining in the first half, but the Green Wave finished the half on a 9-0 run. Tulane scored its nine points in 75 seconds to trim the Memphis lead to 47-38.
The Tigers shot 46.3 percent in the opening half and were led by Martin, who had 17 points. Harris had 11 at the half.
Caleb Daniels led Tulane with 25 points. Moses Wood scored a career-high 17 points with 15 in the first half.
Wichita State 81, Tulsa 61
Dexter Dennis and Samajae Haynes-Jones combined for 11 of Wichita State's school-record tying 15 three-point field goals in an 81-60 road win at Tulsa, Wednesday evening at the Reynolds Center.
WSU (13-12, 6-7) hoisted 33 shots from beyond the arc and connected 15 times, matching a school record set three times previously (once in 2002-03 and twice more during the 2016-17 season).
Winners of five of their last six games, the Shockers play host to Memphis on Saturday with a chance to reach the .500-mark for the first time since a 1-6 start to conference play.
Dennis scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting and added eight rebounds. His six treys ties the school's freshman record, previously set by five others including Landry Shamet.
Jamarius Burton notched a freshman mark of his own with 10 assists against just two turnovers.
Samajae Haynes-Jones was 5-of-10 from deep for 17 points. Erik Stevenson (3-of-6 from three) added 11 points off the bench.
The Shockers shot 47.6 percent from the field and banked 24 assists with just eight turnovers.
In addition to Burton's 10 assists, Ricky Torres added seven assists in 13 turnover-free minutes.
Markis McDuffie streak of 15-straight games with a three-pointer ended. He was 0-for-6 from distance but still managed nine points and four rebounds.
Jaime Echeique blocked three shots. He's swatted at least one in 10-straight games, matching his career-best streak from earlier this year. He's the first Shocker since Antoine Carr to post multiple streaks of 10-or-more.
Martins Igbanu led Tulsa (16-11, 6-8) with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and DaQuan Jeffries shook off a scoreless first half to claim a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Tulsa attempted 29 free throws to WSU's 10 and won the battle of the boards, 45-37, but the hosts hit only 30.2 percent from the floor. They missed all seven first-half three-point attempts and finished just 4-of-22 (.182).
The Shockers have won six-straight and 12 of the last 13 meetings against their former Missouri Valley Conference rival. Gregg Marshall improved to 10-1 against the Golden Hurricane.
Dennis was 4-of-5 from deep in the first half and connected twice more in the first five minutes of the second half. WSU pounded the ball inside early to build a 19-9 lead midway through the first half.
Tulsa inched to within six, 33-27, on Igbanu's three-point play with 3:27 showing, but the Shockers closed the half on a 9-1 push. Haynes-Jones swished a three with two seconds to go to give WSU a 14-point halftime cushion, 42-28.
The Shockers committed just two first-half turnovers.
Tulsa scored the first four points of the second half to close the gap to 10, but Dennis and Haynes-Jones combined for four threes in less than three minutes. Haynes-Jones added a floater for a 53-35 edge, and the lead stayed in double-figures the rest of the way.
USF 95, Florida College 54
Minus star guards David Collins and Laquincy Rideau, the Bulls gained valuable experience in a 95-54 victory over Florida College at the Yuengling Center on Tuesday.
All 10 Bulls who played scored while USF (18-8) improved to 14-3 at home this season. Tuesday's game took the place of the Bulls' previously scheduled contest at Charlotte that was cancelled on Dec. 9 due to Winter Storm Diego.
Junior forward Antun Maricevic made seven of nine shots from the field on the way to posting a career-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Rashun Williams also stepped up at guard, setting new career highs in points (14), field goals (5) and minutes played (24).
Freshman Xavier Castaneda matched his career high with 12 points and reached new career milestones in assists (6) and minutes (34) in his second start. The guard had eight points and five assists in the first half that saw the Bulls build a 46-28 advantage against Florida College (12-16), which is located in nearby Temple Terrace.
Sophomore forward Mayan Kiir scored a career-high 15 points during a 5-for-6 shooting performance from the field and grabbed eight of USF's season-high 56 rebounds. Redshirt senior guard T.J. Lang added 12 points in a game fans got to see for free thanks to USF Athletics.
USF set a season-high in rebounds with 56 and had a 33-4 edge in second-chance points. The Bulls also shot 54 percent from the field (34-for-63) and had a 48-22 advantage in points in the paint.
UPCOMING GAMES