“I have recently made the decision to attend the University of Memphis and play for Melissa McFerrin,” Collier said.

“I am very excited about joining the Memphis Tigers, as I feel it is a great fit for me. Ever since I was little, I have dreamed of playing big time division one basketball. And now after a career at JFK HS in New York City and at Monroe CC, my dream is finally coming true.”

Collegiate Girls Basketball Report rated Collier as #34 overall junior college player in the country and the # 11 guard in country. Collier was also named to the NJCAA first team All-American team in Women’s Division I after her sophomore campaign. She is now the third northeast guard to sign, joining Bilqis Abdul Qaadir from Springfield, Mass., and Ramses Lonlack from Greeneville, Mass.

Collier is an explosive and athletic combo-guard that plays at both the one and the two position due to her versatility. Collier has good range to the three-point line, can penetrate and get to the rim, runs the point guard position and is a high-level defender.

“I could not be more excited about becoming a Memphis Tiger and am really excited to join my future teammates and help us win Conference USA and advance to the NCAA tournament,” Collier said.

Collier joins newcomers Sharee “KK” Harvey, forward Kiana James (Southwest TN CC), Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir (who tore her ACL last year), and transfers Jasmine Lee  and Mary Jackson (who both sat out last season per transfer rules). After Harvey signed with Memphis in the early signing period (November 2009), the Memphis class was already ranked No. 47 in the country and second in Conference USA by the Allstar Girls Report. With Collier’s addition, the 2010 class now has the potential to be rated in the top 40 nationally and first in Conference USA.

Check back with Memphis Roar for a full run-down on McFerrin’s recruiting success at Memphis, including a full recap of the 2010 class.

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.

Memphis 76, UCF 72

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.

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 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.

Prior to the game ending, news began circulating that first place ECU had fallen to Southern Mississippi giving the Tigers an opportunity to jump into first place. They did just that, hanging on down the stretch as UAB tried to “Hack-A-Shaq” their way back into the game over the final three minutes.

UAB’s star Jala Harris showed why she is the favorite to win Conference USA Newcomer of the Year by scoring 20 points (6-of-18 shooting) and four assists. The Tigers held UAB to 39.6% shooting on the game while forcing 21 turnovers, 15 of which came in the first half.

The Tigers never trailed, starting out the game on an 8-to-nothing run. For only the second time in league play, the Tigers out-rebounded their opponent. Led by Taylor Mumphrey (8) and Brittany Carter (7), the Tigers had a 40-35 rebounding advantage. Carter, the Tigers’ leading scorer, struggled from the field (4-of-13) and finished with 11 points on the night. Mumphrey made her presence known on defense, making it hard for her opponents to get the ball inside and causing match-up problems with her length. It was the Tigers’ bench that showed up in a big way on Thursday night. Both Alex Winchell and Nicole Dickson netted 16 points and brought energy off the bench for the Tigers in key stretches.

Memphis continues C-USA play Sunday at 1pm CST when they travel to Texas to take on the Houston Cougars. Memphis follows that up with two games next weekend; the first against Southern Miss on Friday at 7 p.m. CST and the second against UCF Sunday at 2 p.m. CST. Both games will both be played at Elma Roane Fieldhouse, and you can catch all three games on the FM 91.7 WUMR radio broadcast.

EXTRAS

Practically the entire men’s basketball team was on hand to cheer on the women’s team last evening. Will Coleman, DJ Stephens, Malik Thomas, Wesley Witherspoon and Drew Barham all stopped by. Former Tiger Joey Dorsey, who is in town with the Houston Rockets for a game against the Grizzlies tonight, came by the Fieldhouse as well.

For more detail, check out the game recap from GoTigersGo.com.

Official Box Score

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.