Fourth quarter mistakes cost UofM women’s basketball team the game against Houston

The University of Memphis women’s basketball team has suffered another defeat, 59-57. This time it came at the hands of the Houston Cougars after a late-game surge. This is their fifth loss in the last six games and is their ninth conference loss of the season.

Memphis reclaims their offensive identity

Scoring didn’t start smoothly for the Tigers, but things opened up when they started to run their offense through the paint. In their last contest against UConn, they just scored 12 points in the paint, but in Sunday’s matchup, they scored 20 in the first half.

In the second half, the Tigers continued using the paint to help their offense stay afloat. They ended the game with 34 points in the paint and converted on 14 of their 31 layups. It wasn’t exactly a perfect showing, but it was a step up from what they’ve been doing in recent games.

Memphis’ defense learned from last outing against UConn

Against UConn, it seemed the Tigers couldn’t stop anything the Huskies were doing. They allowed them to score 102 points while shooting 54.9 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from the three-point line.

Against the Cougars, it was clear the Tigers wanted to get the sour taste out of their mouths, so they came out aggressively against Houston. In the first half, they forced them into 15 turnovers, making it difficult for Houston to get their offense going. The Tigers’ offense capitalized on these mistakes and finished the game with 23 points off turnovers.

They also had a much better handle on the Cougars’ scoring output. The Cougars scored 59 points when they’d previously been averaging 70.1 points per game. They shot 44.9 percent from the field and shined brightest when defending three-point shots, allowing them to convert on just 35.3 percent of their attempts.

Each area was a statistical upgrade since the Tigers’ meeting with the Huskies. 

Alana Davis and Jamirah Shutes have potential to be Memphis’ best duo

For much of the season, the Tigers have had their problems with offense, but Shutes and Davis have been able to provide large scoring outputs.

Against Houston, the narrative was no different. The two underclassmen were the team’s two leading scorers. Shutes led the team with 20 points, and Davis was close behind with 16 points. They combined for 36 of the team’s 57 points.

The two also made big impacts away from the ball, combining for 15 rebounds, three assists and five steals.

As the season has progressed, the two have built undeniable chemistry and have often been seen setting the other up for big plays.

With the team’s current roster being in such a flux, it’s refreshing to see teammates working so well together. With these two players being so young, they can build a bright future together. 

Conclusion 

Despite the loss, the Tigers can look at this as a game that showed just how well they can play. During the first three quarters, their defense was solid which forced Houston into a lot of mistakes, their offense was active in the paint and they seemed to have been completely focused on the task at hand.

In the fourth quarter, they suffered their share of blunders, mistakes and defensive lapses, but they were still competitive in a game that could have been much worse.

With nearly a week until their next game against SMU, they can use this time to focus on their offense and limit their self-inflicted wounds to get things back on track.