Up until this past Saturday, Melissa McFerrin had the University of Memphis women’s basketball team sitting at first place in the Conference USA standings. Falling Saturday afternoon to East Carolina, who now holds sole possession of first place, the Tigers look to rebound against UAB on Thursday night at 7pm. Currently sitting in a second-place tie with Tulane and SMU, the women’s basketball team has made remarkable strides over the last two seasons.
Currently sitting at 12-8 overall and 5-2 in Conference USA, the Tigers appear to be turning the corner while becoming a contender in the league and potentially on a national stage. Earlier in the season, they beat Missouri, an upstart team that recently beat #17 Baylor, on Missouri’s home court. They also took the Ole Miss Lady Rebels, who currently sit in second place in the SEC, down to the wire 73-72.
The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Brittany Carter who is currently averaging 18.6 points per game. Another underclassman that has helped lead the way for the Tigers is freshman Nicole Dickson. Dickson netted her season high of 24 points in her first collegiate game this season against Indiana. Although she struggled with some inconsistency through the middle stretch of the season, Dickson has come on strong as of late to help the Tigers remain at the top of the league standings.
In only her second year at the University of Memphis, head coach Melissa McFerrin has revitalized the women’s basketball program in a way that should have those sporting blue and gray gushing with praise. The success found its foundation in recruiting and its framing in defense. Since beginning Conference USA play, the Tigers are allowing only 60.6 points per game on 35.8% from the field (both 1st in C-USA). Speaking of defense, junior forward Savannah Ellis is on pace to break the all-time University of Memphis blocks record with a career total of 83 blocks (28 so far this season).
Needless to say, this Tiger basketball team deserves and needs your support as well. After packing 16,000+ fans into the FedEx Forum on Wednesday night for the men, Memphis fans should be crammed into the seats at the Elma Roane fieldhouse for Thursday’s Tigers game against the Blazers. If you have the opportunity, get out and see these young ladies play.
Single Game Tickets
$7 Chairback Reserved Seats
$5 General Admission Adult Ticket
$3 Youth (6-12)/Senior Citizens
FREE Children 5 and under and U of M Students (w/ID)
Group Tickets are also available for groups of 10 or more for $2.00 apiece by calling the Tiger Ticket Office at (901) 678-2331.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Check out the game preview from GoTigersGo.com for Thursday’s big matchup between Memphis and UAB.
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