Memphis Roar » 2009-2010 Season

Tigers Fail to Advance; Fall to ECU in Quarterfinals of CUSA Women’s Tournament

Brooks Hansen — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:39:02 +0000

Tuesday afternoon, the University of Memphis women’s basketball team took on the ECU Pirates in the Conference USA quarterfinals at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, OK. Having been swept by the Pirates in both of their regular season contests, the Tigers hoped to bounce back with a win to keep their season alive. Unfortunately for Coach McFerrin’s Tigers, they fell short against the Pirates, 66-73, ending their hopes of a birth into the NCAA Tournament.

In what was a tough-fought contest, the Tigers were led by Brittany Carter who finished the game with 29 points (10-of-20 shooting), 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Freshman Nicole Dickson chipped in 10 points while senior LaToya Bullard filled up the stat sheet with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. ECU took a double-digit lead over the Tigers in the second half, but the Tigers stormed back to take a lead with under 10 minutes remaining behind Carter’s stellar play.

ECU continued their balanced attack as Memphis made their run, pulling back ahead for good with under four minutes to play. ECU’s offensive attack against the Tigers was across the board with 9 total players scoring, led by Celeste Stewart. ECU had two players in double-digits followed closely by three others who were one point shy of double-digits.

For the Tigers, their season-long problems with free-throws reared its ugly head once again. The Tigers finished the game hitting only 13-of-23 free throw attempts (56.6%). Also limiting the Tigers was their short bench. Memphis had only 4 points off the bench while ECU was able to tally 32 points from their bench.

The Tigers finish their season at 17-13 (10-7 C-USA). Despite their first-game loss in the C-USA Tournament, Melissa McFerrin and squad have a myriad of reasons to hold their head high. Slowly but surely turning this Memphis program into a winner, the Tigers have come a long way since McFerrin took over the reigns. Memphis will now wait for an invitation from either the Women’s NIT or the WBI.

Weekend Recap Part II: Tigers Back in First Place

David — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:44:46 +0000

The University of Memphis Tigers hosted both the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the University of Central Florida Knights at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse this past weekend. The Tigers entered the weekend trailing Tulane by one game for the lead in the Conference USA standings. If the Tigers could win both games, they would end the weekend no worse than tied for first place.

Memphis 76, UCF 72

The University of Memphis Tigers hosted the Central Florida Knights Sunday afternoon at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The team wore special pink jerseys and served pink lemonade at the concession stand in support of breast cancer awareness. The Tigers jumped out to a quick 9-5 lead when UCF’s Marshay White stole the ball from senior LaToya Bullard and thought she had a break away layup. Instead sophomore Brittany Carter caught up and had a monster rejection (see video below). The Tigers’ biggest lead of the first half was 12 points, after senior Alex Winchell hit three consecutive three-pointers. For the half, the Tigers held UCF to 31.4% shooting on their way to a 38-35 lead at the half.

For the second game in a row, the Tigers threatened to blow the game open early in the second half. They extended their lead to 9 points, before allowing UCF to go on a 15-5 run and take their first lead of the game. UCF would have the lead for just two possessions, before a Carter three-pointer gave the Tigers the lead for good at the 11:44 mark. Carter finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman Nicole Dickson had 17 points and 8 rebounds. LaToya Bullard added 7 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals.

The Tigers were able to overcome poor shooting in the second half, by playing tough defense and forcing turnovers. They had 12 steals as a team. The win kept the team in a tie with Tulane for first place in the Conference USA standings. The Tigers have a battle for sole possession of first tonight when they travel to New Orleans to face Tulane.

Box Score

Check out Memphis Roar’s photo gallery from the games against Southern Miss and UCF here.

Weekend Recap Part I: Tigers Back In First Place

David — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:51:55 +0000

Memphis 89, Southern Miss 85 (OT)

The University of Memphis Tigers hosted the Southern Miss Golden Eagles Friday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse in front of 1,414 fans. The Tigers built a 48-41 halftime lead behind 13 points from sophomore Brittany Carter. The team could have easily led by double-digits but missed 9 of 15 free throws. Both teams shot over 60% from the field in the first half.

The Tigers threatened to blow the game open in the second half, extending their lead to 10 points by the first media timeout. However, during the 4-minute stretch between the under-12 and under-8 minute timeouts, the Golden Eagles went from trailing by 9 to leading by 5. The Tigers went cold from the field, scoring just 2 points, and they failed to grab a single rebound. Coming out of the media timeout, Tiger freshman Nicole Dickson quickly tied the game at 67, hitting a layup and three-pointer both assisted by Memphis-native LaToya Bullard. Bullard finished with a game high 11 assists.

The Golden Eagles built the lead back to six on a jumper by Pauline Love at the 3:10 mark. Love finished with a game high 30 points. The Golden Eagles would only score 3 more points in regulation, while committing 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. For the game, Southern Miss committed 26 turnovers. Ramses Lonlack hit two free throws and a layup to help pull the Tigers within two. Trailing by 3 points with 30 seconds to go, Brittany Carter converted a three point play to tie the game. Southern Miss had a chance to win, but Love’s jumper was off the mark.

In overtime, the Tigers continued to capitalize on Southern Miss turnovers, scoring six points off three Golden Eagle turnovers. The Tigers also dominated the offensive glass, snagging 7 offensive rebounds in the five minute period. For the game, Memphis had 39 rebounds including an amazing 22 offensive rebounds. Carter and junior Alex Winchell both had four points each in overtime. Taylor Mumphrey converted three big free throws, including two that set the final margin of victory with four seconds remaining.

The Tiger were able to overcome poor shooting in the second half and overtime, just 39.3% and 30.0% respectively, by forcing turnovers and controlling the glass. They had 17 steals as a team. The Tigers also improved their free throw shooting in the second half, going 10 or 14. Brittany Carter had 25 points and four other Tigers scored in double-digits. The win moved the team in a tie for first place in the Conference USA standings. The team next turned their attention to the UCF Golden Knights for a Sunday afternoon game.

Box Score

Link

Check out Memphis Roar’s photo gallery from the games against Southern Miss and UCF here.

Memphis Women’s Basketball Mid-Season Highlight Video

MemphisRoar Staff — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:25:50 +0000

Check out the University of Memphis women’s basketball team mid-season highlights in the following video. The video covers some of the season’s highlights, moments from the coach’s show and other memorable occasions. To see more of the women’s basketball videos, you can check them out on their YouTube Page.

2009-2010 Women’s Basketball Roster

MemphisRoar — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:22:13 +0000

To be added later.