Despite a slow start, the University of Memphis women’s basketball team pulled out a 66-65 win against Houston.
The Tigers gave up five three pointers early on as they trailed 22 to 9 after the first quarter. The Tigers only shot 30 percent from the field in the opening quarter.
Head Coach Melissa McFerrin was not content with the effort by her team in the first quarter.
“We were content with just getting a hand up on their shooters instead of trying to run them off the three-point line,” McFerrin said.
As the second quarter went on, the Tigers began to cut into the large deficit by showing more effort on the defensive end. They cut the lead to eight by the half.
During the third quarter, Memphis continued to chip away at the Cougar lead, cutting the lead to four with about eight minutes remaining in the quarter. They clamped down defensively, holding the Cougars to 37 percent from the field as team, while shooting 50 percent themselves.
Down by six heading into the fourth, Memphis took their first lead of the night with about five minutes left in the contest. They continued to play well defensively, holding Houston to 12 points in the final quarter.
The Cougars retook the lead late until Brea Elmore’s basket put the Tigers ahead with 1:35 remaining. Memphis held on to their lead for the narrow victory.
The Tigers were spearheaded by the hardnosed play of junior forward Cheyenne Creighton. The Canada native finished with a game high total in points and rebounds, 23 and 12 respectively.
Guard Taylor Williams finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Damonique Miller also chipped in with 12 points in 19 minutes of play. Guard Jasmyne Harris led the way in scoring for the Cougars as she finished with 19 points.
After the win, coach McFerrin had high praises for a few of her players.
“Damonique Miller showed great effort for us tonight,” McFerrin said. “Loysha Morris also got her hand on a lot of loose balls.”
The bad news for the Tigers in this contest was the hamstring injury of Junior guard Breigha Wilder-Cochran. She got injured in the first quarter and didn’t return for the remainder of the game. Coach McFerrin said she will be evaluated Thursday.
This win puts the Tigers at 9-11 and 2-5 in conference play. This win also marks the 199th victory of McFerrin’s career, leaving her a win shy of the 200 mark.
Williams drives the lane and goes up for a floater as Cheyenne Creighton moves into position for the offensive rebound. Creighton leads the team with 72 offensive boards.
Taylor Williams takes a corner jumper in the exhibition loss against Lee University. Williams leads the team with 26 made three-point shots.
