The Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team defeated the Jackson State Tigers 68-67 in their season opener. The team powered through both early struggles with turnovers and a slow start to win the hard-fought game. Here are four takeaways from Wednesday night’s game.
Free throws need work
The Tigers started the game off slowly. They were unable to create any real offense and couldn’t stop Jackson State on the fast break. What made matters worse was their inability to capitalize on free throws.
In the first quarter, Jackson State committed many fouls, getting into the bonus early and forcing Memphis to the line 12 times. Memphis only made five free throws and started the game making zero of their first six attempts.
Memphis got it together by halftime, converting 13 of 21 attempts in the half. They finished the game making 22 of their 34 shots, good for 64.7 percent.
Taylor Barnes is the leader of this team
Junior guard Taylor Barnes did everything for the Tigers in their victory. She was the team’s leading returning scorer from last season and a catalyst for the offense as soon as the ball was tipped.
In 32 minutes, Barnes scored 16 points, two assists and one rebound. She was the game’s second leading scorer and a vocal leader on the court, shouting defensive plays and matchups as Jackson State guards drove the ball up-court.
Late in the fourth quarter, Barnes went down with a knee injury and had to be helped off the court. Head coach Melissa McFerrin said it was just a tweak, and Barnes should be ready for their upcoming game against Arkansas State.
It’s going to be a youth movement for the Tigers this season
A large factor in the Tigers’ win came from plays made by guard Jamirah Shutes, guard Gazmyne Herndon and forward Kiana Coomber — all of whom are freshmen. Even though Shutes was the only starter, all three made a substantial impact. Shutes was the team’s leading scorer with 20 points, while Herndon and Coomber combined for 13 points.
When Shutes spoke to the media, she said it doesn’t matter who on her team scores the most points among each other.
“Being the leading scorer means nothing,” Shutes said. “What means the most to me is the person doing the dirty work.”
Shutes did her fair share of dirty work by having two rebounds, most notably an offensive rebound where she was able to score the ball shortly after coming up with it, helping the team regain the lead.
Postgame analysis
The Tigers may have won the day, but they have a lot of things they need to improve on before their matchup at Arkansas State on Nov. 12. In particular, the Tigers struggled to create plays for each other and needed to work better as a team.
By the end of the game, they only had 13 assists, compared to a sloppy 24 turnovers. Their leading passer was Shutes, who only had three assists. For the team to be successful, they have to be better at finding an open teammate rather than just throwing up shots and hoping for the best.
