When was the last time a University of Memphis basketball coachapologized for beating the crap out of the opposition?
It occurred last night after the Lady Tigers pummeled the NWBLUSA Elite, 116-33, before a crowd of 1,437 in its first of twoexhibition games this week.
“I’m sorry the game was not much more competitive thanit was,” head coach Joye Lee-McNelis said. “I apologizefor what people came out to see.
“In the second half, we made our players stop takingtransition baskets because we would have scored 200 points and whatgood would that do? Nothing.”
According to McNelis, there was some confusion concerning whichNWBL (National Women’s Basketball League) team the Lady Tigerswould play. After switching the teams twice, the Memphis squadplayed a team apparently not near the collegiate level in terms oftalent Monday night. McNelis said, however, her team did come awayfrom the drubbing with some learning experiences.
“We are learning to think of the time and the clock,”McNelis said. “We’re still a little confused, but I thinkwe started out very focused.”
From the opening tip, the Lady Tigers dominated the Elite in allfacets of the game. All but one Lady Tiger scored in the firsthalf. Memphis also managed to keep the Elite scoreless over thefinal 8:33 of the first half, blanking the Elite 25-0 over thatspan.
The Lady Tigers also shot a remarkable 80 percent (32-of-40)from the field before the break on their way to a 69-percentshooting clip for the game. Memphis, which passed on severalscoring opportunities in the final minutes of the first half, ledat halftime by a score of 75-17.
In the second half, the Lady Tigers focused more on runningplays rather than scoring. The game became a test to see whetherthe Tiger squad could remain steadfast with its plays.
“Our ball movement at half court offensively was reallygood,” McNelis said. “As we slowed them down, we lostfocus.”
“I think the purpose (of the game) was to see if we couldstay focused in a situation like that,” sophomore guardPrincess Swilley said.
Junior center Shannon Hamp led all scorers with 20 points. Hampalso had five rebounds.
“It was good getting some different competition,” Hampsaid.
Swilley netted 12 points, all of which came in the first half.She also had three assists and two steals.
By the end of the contest, all of the Lady Tigers had numbers inthe scoring column, with six recording in double digits. Memphisalso forced an outrageous 41 turnovers.
Senior forward Lauren Jackson and junior guard Kalara McFadyenboth led the team with five assists each.
“I thought Kalara did a good job for someone whohasn’t practiced for a week and has a face mask on,”McNelis said. McFadyen broke her nose in practice last week and isnow required to wear a protective mask on her face.
McNelis said her team’s rebounding could have been betterin the contest. Memphis held just a 39-28 rebounding advantage overthe Elite, a relatively small team in terms of height.
“If I was disappointed in anything, it was ourrebounding,” McNelis said.
The Lady Tigers play Christian Brothers University Friday atElma Roane Fieldhouse in their second and final exhibition gamebefore their Nov. 16 regular-season opener.
