With bodies colliding, arms flailing and players being knocked down while diving for loose balls, the Lady Tigers got their first win of the season Tuesday night — an 84-58 victory over the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore before a crowd of 1,535 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
“It was sloppy,” head coach Joye Lee-McNelis said after the game. “I thought we got off to a very good start. I thought our intensity was good.”
With the win, the Lady Tigers improved to 1-2 overall while the Lady Hawks dropped to 1-1 on the young season.
The physical contest Tuesday night turned into a battle of the boards with the Lady Hawks coming out on top with 52 rebounds compared to the Lady Tigers’ 47.
“We just can’t continue to let people outrebound us,” Lee-McNelis said. “We’re not going to win any ball games if we play the way we played tonight.
“I think we made a stride in the transition offense. We have to work on our transition defense, which was horrendous tonight.”
Despite the “horrendous” defense, the U of M squad forced a slew of Eastern Shore turnovers. The Lady Hawks had 39 turnovers, 18 more than their number of made field goals (21).
Memphis, though, struggled to gain control in the early moments of the contest, with the Lady Hawks leading, 14-13, seven minutes into the first half.
But sophomore reserve Tamika Rogers answered with a no-look pass to junior forward Rita Beckwith for an easy lay-up and the Lady Tigers never looked back.
“She’s very hyped,” freshman forward Aesha Carter said of Rogers. “She comes in and gives us the intensity that we need.”
By the end of the half, Memphis led, 51-32.
After leaving the game because of injury late in the first half, sophomore guard Princess Swilley quickly grabbed a steal before scoring two consecutive baskets to jump-start the Lady Tigers in the second half.
The Memphis team held Eastern Shore to just three points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The Lady Hawks tried to turn the game around with five minutes left to play, but it was too late.
Junior center Shannon Hamp led the Lady Tigers in scoring four the fourth time this season with 18 points.
“They’re giving me the ball,” Hamp said. “I just have to make sure I do something with it.”
Swilley chipped in with 11 points and added four steals.
In just 20 minutes of play, freshman forward Victoria Crawford had 10 points and led the Lady Tigers with six rebounds.
Rogers ended the game with seven points and four assists while Carter netted nine points and grabbed five boards.
Sophomore guard Kimberly Martin led UMSE with 12 points.
Memphis hosts the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic Friday and Saturday, with the first game scheduled for 7 p.m. against Missouri-Kansas City at the Fieldhouse.
