After a 7-8 start through 15 games, the Lady Tiger basketball team is gearing up for the second half of the season.
Memphis, which lost 77-59 to No. 21 Tulane Friday night, bounced back from a 92-66 Dec. 29 loss to Tennessee and an 82-80 loss on Jan. 2 to Middle Tennessee State University by opening its Conference USA season with a 64-55 road win last Sunday over Saint Louis.
Other wins over the Christmas break included a 62-59 road victory over Texas A&M Dec. 19, a 67-56 win against Massachusetts Dec. 9 at The Pyramid and a 62-50 beating of Louisiana-Lafayette Dec. 13.
Lady Tiger head coach Joye Lee-McNelis said she hopes her team can overcome its inconsistencies and injuries to be successful in the second half of the season.
“All we want to do is continue to make small steps,” Lee-McNelis said. “Continue to improve and develop chemistry.”
Junior center Shannon Hamp has played a key role for the Lady Tigers, averaging 16.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
“I just want to help my team win,” Hamp said. “If I have to carry them on my back, I’ll do it as long as we win.”
Senior forward Melissa Abraham has pounded the boards and is Memphis’ leading rebounder with 7.7 per game to go along with her 8.2 points per game. Abraham has set her sights on getting a double-double each game.
“With my game coming alive, I think it opens a little for Shannon,” Abraham said. “If they focus on me, then we can get Shannon the ball.”
Sophomore guard Princess Swilley, who is averaging 11.6 points per game, has evolved as a slasher for the Lady Tigers, according to her coach.
“She creates so much off the dribble,” Lee-McNelis said.
Junior guard Kalara McFadyen has also been a big contributor for the Lady Tigers, averaging six steals per game.
“Kalara is a defensive specialist,” Lee-McNelis said.
A strong motivator for Memphis in the second half of the season will be the fact that the bottom two C-USA teams won’t make the conference tournament in March. This is the first year that the C-USA Tournament will not include each of the conference’s schools.
In other news, former Kentucky sophomore guard Stephanie Stoglin and former Briarcrest Christian standout Laura Mitchell have joined the Lady Tiger basketball team. Stoglin, who averaged seven points per game as a freshman for the Wildcats, will transfer from Kentucky to Memphis while Mitchell, an all-state honoree as a prep player, has joined the Lady Tigers as a walk-on.
Freshmen center Jeralynn Campbell left the Lady Tiger basketball team following the Christmas break to be closer to home. Sophomore guard Tamika Rogers underwent surgery during the break to repair a torn meniscus in her right knee.
