When it comes to keeping her team in check, Lady Tiger head coach Joye Lee-McNelis doesn’t pull any punches.
“We have to stay on their butt every single second, because the majority of them have done just enough to get through, to get by,” Lee-McNelis said Monday.
After a 85-48 loss to The University of Arkansas (4-1) Sunday, Lee-McNelis and her Lady Tigers (3-4) were working hard in practice Monday afternoon in preparation for Wednesday’s road contest against Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn.
Despite trailing 42-30 at halftime Sunday, Lee-McNelis said she was satisfied with her team’s effort early in the Arkansas game.
“We started out the ballgame and we played well for 20 of the 40 minutes,” Lee-McNelis said. “We made some mistakes, and it became a snowball effect. Essentially, we gave into (Arkansas’) pressure.”
Memphis’ only lead came five minutes into the first half when a Shannon Hamp jumper made the score 10-9.
However, a slew of turnovers (24) and a tough night on the boards for the Lady Tigers helped the Lady Razorbacks control the rest of the game. The U of M team grabbed just 24 boards compared to Arkansas’ 42 rebounds.
Memphis didn’t help itself with its shooting either, hitting on just 36.6 percent of its shots for the game. Hamp and sophomore guard Princess Swilley led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 14 points apiece.
Arkansas’ Dana Cherry led all scorers with 21 points.
The loss ended Memphis’ three-game winning streak against the Lady Razorbacks, though Memphis still leads the series 8-4.
Now Memphis is set to take on Tennessee Tech, a team Lee-McNelis said will be tough competition for the Lady Tigers.
“Wednesday is going to be another challenge,” she said. “We know that when we go up there, it’s going to be a challenge.”
According to Lee-McNelis, her team will have to contain three standouts on the Golden Eaglette team: 6-0 center and All-American candidate Janet Halt, 5-4 guard Allison Clark, and 5-6 guard Misty Garrett.
Halt is a powerhouse in the post, while Clark has proven to be a 3-point shooting threat. Garrett serves as Tennessee Tech’s versatile point guard.
The 2000 Ohio Valley Conference champs will be looking to win their 13th consecutive home game. Tennessee Tech (3-3) is also coming off of an 82-75 victory over Southern Illinois University.
Memphis and Tennessee Tech met last year at Elma Roane Fieldhouse with the Golden Eaglettes squeaking by the Lady Tigers in the final seconds of the game.
“We lost a heartbreaker to them last year,” Lee-McNelis said.
With a tough schedule ahead for Memphis, Lee-McNelis said her young team will learn from its experiences.
“They don’t have a clue of what their potential is,” she said. “We have a whole lot of potential, but we’re a long ways from being where we need to be. If we could make small steps, then that’s important. When the going gets tough, they’ve got to buckle down and get tough with it, rather than giving into pressure. And I do understand that that’s youth. It’s youth in the game. You could call it lack of maturity in the game.”
