Penny Hardaway said this, which helped Memphis basketball to snap its losing streak.

The Memphis basketball team ended their four-game losing streak on Saturday against Wichita State, and coach Penny Hardaway observed a key factor in their victory — a shift to a small-ball lineup. This adjustment helped the Tigers (16-6, 5-4 AAC) regain momentum and ultimately secure the win.

Hardaway mentioned during his radio show on Monday night that he had initially leaned towards using larger lineups after losing Caleb Mills for the season on January 4th. However, he opted for a smaller lineup in the crucial moments against the Shockers.

Hardaway explained, “Since Caleb’s injury, we’ve been favoring bigger lineups. However, our conference predominantly plays with smaller lineups, with the exception of a few teams like Wichita and possibly UAB. This dynamic often posed challenges for us. Thus, employing a small-ball lineup towards the end of the game seemed like the logical choice, and the players on the court executed it effectively to secure the victory.”

That particular combination of players — Jahvon Quinerly, David Jones, Jaykwon Walton, Nicholas Jourdain, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin — saw extensive action during the crucial moments of the game. They managed to overcome Wichita State’s 14-point lead with 7:55 remaining, ultimately securing a narrow 65-63 victory, largely thanks to a decisive jumper by Jones with just two seconds left on the clock.

Hardaway commented, “With that specific lineup, we finally discovered five players who were determined not to allow opponents to penetrate our defense easily. Additionally, they exhibited excellent ball-sharing on offense. As a result, our offensive movement became much quicker, posing challenges for the opposing team’s defense.”

Hardaway rotated through 12 players and began the game with Quinerly, Walton, Jones, Tomlin, and Malcolm Dandridge on the court. Although he had initially included Jonathan Pierre in the starting lineup for the previous loss to Rice, he reverted to starting Quinerly for the game against Wichita State.

Quinerly struggled at the start, missing his first 12 field goal attempts before finally sinking a crucial 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining, which propelled Memphis to their first lead of the game. Despite his shooting struggles, he contributed significantly with eight assists and six rebounds.

During an earlier segment on the radio show, the transfer from Alabama shared insights into his recruitment process and explained why he chose Memphis for his final year of college basketball. He expressed confidence that the team had turned a corner with their victory on Saturday.

Quinerly remarked, “When we perform at that level, there aren’t many teams in the country that I believe can defeat us.”