After dropping to 2-1 this past Thursday, the Tigers were chasing their third win of the season against the Florida A&M Rattlers. In a game that saw the Tigers debut new uniforms for the home fans, Memphis women’s basketball also put on a show for them.
Coming back home and being in front of the fans was important for the team to start out strong. They jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and did not let the Rattlers come close. Offensively the Tigers were strong. Makayia Brooks knocked down two early threes as the Tigers lead increased to 25-8 at the end of the first quarter.
"I'm really excited that the team took what we worked on in practice and had a good bounce back in the first quarter," said Head Coach Katrina Merriweather. "We were locked in, and the team made sure that we were defending and rebounding the ball."
The Tigers continued to extend their lead into the second quarter, only allowing the Rattlers to score 11 points in the quarter. The Tigers were able to get whatever they wanted on the offensive end. The Tigers entered the locker room for halftime up 51-19.
The Tigers did not let go of the large lead after the second half opened up. Although this quarter was very back and forth. The Tigers managed to maintain a 32-point lead as the third quarter ended, entering the fourth up 66-34.
The Tigers put on cruise control for the remaining quarter. The offense was not as strong because it did not have to be, the focus shifted to the defensive end – with everyone contributing. This allowed the Tigers to hold off the Rattlers, ending the game with a score of 75-46. The only saving grace for the Rattlers being the 19 points that Dylan Horton was able to provide.
The Tigers shot 48% on the night, with the leading scorer being Coriah Beck at 14 points. But the defense was the star of the show, holding the Rattlers to a low shooting percentage at only 24% and forcing 14 turnovers. Although the Tigers ran away with this game, they committed 15 turnovers of their own.
The Tigers next game will be Tuesday November 23 at 6pm at Liberty University on ESPN+ before heading to Los Angeles to participate in the LMU Thanksgiving Classic this weekend.
