WICHITA, Kan. — Memphis senior Jeremiah Martin paced his way back onto the floor after Memphis' 88-85 win at Wichita State on Saturday night, looking to his left as an unfamiliar voice called out his name.

The shout was from John Slaba, a fan dressed in full Wichita State garb standing in the front row. He was holding a copy of the stat sheet and a black marker in hand.

The Shockers fan had seen all that he needed, a 37-point performance in the midst of one of the most incredible runs ever by a Memphis player. Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said Martin's latest outburst is now part of the best six-game stretch he's ever seen by a Tiger.

So Slaba wanted Martin's autograph.

The senior signed it, a scribble squarely over the Wichita State section of the box score. Perhaps it was metaphoric for the destruction he did on the scoreboard while scoring 29 second-half points and ripping the hearts out of the 10,506 rowdy fans who packed Charles Koch Arena.

By the time the senior watched his fifth 3-point shot splash through the net, a try from the corner with a little more than seven minutes remaining, he left his arm extended in the air while pausing for a few seconds.

It was just long enough for the Wichita State faithful to boo, and enough time for Memphis to savor its impressive second-half performance. In a hostile environment against a quality team, Hardaway's group left with a signature road win.

"I can say a lot about (Jeremiah), but the one thing that I can say is heart," Hardaway said. "He's representing the city. He understands what it means to the city. ... He's never made the NCAA tournament. He's playing like he's never made it and really wants to make it."

Another slow start

Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie buried a turnaround jumper from the left side of the lane to beat the shot clock and spark a 13-0 Shockers run that quickly put Memphis in a double-digit hole.

The start was a familiar feeling of frustration for the Tigers (17-11, 9-6 AAC), who are just 3-6 on the road this season in part because of insurmountable early deficits.

In the first 10 minutes of the game, Memphis shot just 17 percent from the floor and zero percent from the 3-point line, and it gave the ball away three times.

The Shockers led by as many as 16 in the first half.

At the halftime buzzer, Martin had just eight points and missed both of his attempts from long range.

Getting a rhythm

As poor as the Tigers started, they still managed to cut the Shockers' lead to just four by halftime.

The Wichita State defense forced the left-handed Martin to drive to his right for most of the game and double-teamed the Tigers' leading scorer whenever he came off a screen.

As a result, the Shockers (13-13, 6-8) left space for Memphis' Raynere Thornton and Kareem Brewton Jr., who also played exceptionally well.

Thornton finished with a season-high 16 points and nine rebounds, including a thunderous dunk that broke a tie with just less than four minutes to play.

"For my Memphis career, it was probably top two," Thornton said of the dunk. "For my career, I would probably say it was top eight."

Brewton, Martin's counterpart in the backcourt, finished with 14 points and six rebounds.

The senior guard had the biggest rebound of the game for the Tigers, soaring over three Wichita State players to grab a miss in the final seconds.

"At the end we were saying that we just need one stop and a rebound," Hardaway said, "and he attacked that rebound like a senior that wants to win in a tough environment."

Tigers trending up

Down 13 in the second half, the Shockers refused to go away. Coach Gregg Marshall's team jumped on the back of its own superstar, McDuffie, who nailed three 3-point shots of his own to tie the score at 75 with four minutes left.

"Man, it's like every team we play on the road hits some huge shots," Hardaway said. "It was no different tonight. They hit some huge shots."

Thornton's dunk eight seconds later reclaimed the lead, and Memphis held off the Shockers from there.

"I told the team before we left that this is a game we have to win to be able to win the conference tournament at home," Hardaway said. "It's not just going to be given to us. ... You have to win these types of games to get your psyche right to be able to win these at home."

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