The Memphis women’s basketball team (2-4) looks to right the ship early in the season as they start a lengthy home schedule playing the Toledo Rockets (4-2).
Memphis and Toledo will meet for their second time ever in women’s basketball play. In the first game they played, the Rockets earned a dramatic 71-68 overtime win Jan. 4, 2008, at FedEx Forum.
Head coach Melissa McFerrin is looking to rebound after losing against Coastal Carolina in the Coastal Carolina Tournament this past weekend with a 71-90 loss. It was their worst loss of the season, allowing 90 points and 11 three-point shots.
The Tigers statistically aren’t performing well, as they are being outscored on an average of 11.7 points per game. Shooting-wise, they have a .357 field goal percentage average, and they only score 22 buckets per game. The turnovers have proved to be the most costly because every turnover they commit leads to a point for the opponent.
They currently are averaging 20 turnovers per game, and they allow 20.2 points off turnovers. The Tigers have an opportunity to fix the turnover issue, as the Rockets don’t get enough steals, as they only have 27 steals so far with 5.4 steals per game, so the Tigers can decrease their eight opponent turnovers per game statistic.
What the Tigers need to capitalize on against Toledo is their rebounding battle, as Toledo out-rebounds their opponents by 42.5 rebounds per game. Forward Alana Davis is recording 9.5 rebounds per game with more offensive rebounds (5.3) than defensive rebounds (4.2) per game.
Davis recorded double-digit rebounds in three straight games until the Coastal Carolina game. She had 13 rebounds against UAB, 11 against Louisiana Tech and 13 against Mercer. She only had four in the loss against Coastal Carolina. The Tigers need to win the rebounding battle and use that to limit second-chance points for Toledo.
Davis also needs to continue to take advantage of her offensive rebounds and turn them into paint points to score more than 61.3 points per game. She currently is tied for the team lead in points with guard Jamirah Shutes with 13.3 points per contest. The Tigers need a dominant scorer to gain their confidence before playing seven out of their next eight games at home.
Memphis also needs to watch out for center Kayla McIntyre on the offensive end, as McIntyre leads the team with 14.3 points per game. She looks to regain her form after tying her season low 10 points in their win against Belmont.
Another key player to defend will be guard Mariella Santucci, who has been on the rise as of late and scored a season-high 22 points against Belmont. She now averages 12.8 points per game and looks to continue her good play against a Memphis team that allows 73 points per game to opponents.
The game tips off Saturday at 11 a.m. at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Students are admitted into the game for free.
Head coach Melissa McFerrin watches the action from the sidelines against UConn. Despite their best efforts, the Memphis Tigers were unable to pull off the upset over the No. 3 ranked UConn Huskies, losing the game 102-45.
