Attempting to bounce back after a shaky 1-3 start, the Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team looked to pick up a pair of crucial non-conference wins this weekend.
In their first game of the Coastal Carolina Tournament, the Tigers faced the Mercer Bears, who had 30 wins and participated in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Early on, the Bears came out firing. After out-shooting the Tigers 52.9 percent to 20 percent in the first period, Mercer seemed poised to run away with this one. However, a strong effort on the glass from sophomore forward Alana Davis and the rest of the Tigers’ frontcourt helped narrow the deficit as the two squads went into the locker room for the half-time break.
In the second half, Memphis went on the offensive and secured a lead for the first time in the contest and never looked back. Davis contributed a key 22 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 11 points and nine boards from senior forward Jasmine James to help secure a 59-53 victory for Memphis against Mercer.
“We talk about rebounding every day, but Alana Davis was a beast on the boards today,” head coach Melissa McFerrin said in a press release. “Kiana Coomber has really earned her playing time with the way she rebounds, and in the first half, Jasmine Jones was all over the boards.”
With their goal being a return to playing competitive basketball, wins like this are essential to legitimize the Tigers’ hopes of emerging as a contender in the American Athletic Conference.
In their second game of the weekend tournament, the Tigers turned their focus to the host team, Coastal Carolina. While they were able to shake off a slow start in their first game and ultimately complete a second half-comeback, this game was a bit different.
A 20-19 lead after the opening period saw the Tigers carry momentum through the midway break. However, the hosts were able to pull away in the second half behind 55 percent shooting from both the field and the three-point arc, including 11 made triples and 22 points from Tiger turnovers.
Junior guard Gazmyne Herndon contributed 19 points and six assists, coupled with 14 points from both Taylor Barnes and Coomber to lead Memphis in the 91-70 losing effort.
As Memphis progresses to the thick of their non-conference slate, their upcoming games will play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this year’s campaign. With key dates against opponents such as Southeast Missouri, New Orleans and Samford looming, the Tigers will be eager to prove to not only to themselves but also the rest of the nation that they have improved since last season, and they can be competitive.
Now with the tournament behind them, the women’s basketball team will play the Toledo Rockets, who are 3-2 this season, Saturday at 11 a.m. at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The Rockets have struggled on the road, as they dropped two games against Dayton and Maine. Nevertheless, Memphis should be prepared as the Rockets won their last game at Valparaiso.
