The Memphis Tigers Women's Basketball Team defeated the Jackson State Tigers 79-68 in a WNIT first-round matchup.
Memphis faced off against Jackson State at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The Fieldhouse was sold out with 1,821 fans in attendance for both teams.
The first quarter was great for Junior guard Emani Jefferson. Jefferson started out with 6 points, shooting 100 percent from three while shooting 40 percent from the field.
When it comes to defense, Memphis played great on-ball defense that led to some easy fast break points against JSU.
JSU started off slow in the first shooting 44 percent from the field and zero percent from three. One player that Memphis shut down in the first quarter was Jackson State forward Angel Jackson, who shot 25 percent.
Memphis was able to take her out of the game and force Jackson State to try to beat them from the perimeter.
With the second quarter starting, both Senior guards Madison Gibbs and Jamirah Shutes took over the game playing elite on both ends. Both guards combined for 18 second-quarter points along with some pressuring on-ball defense.
The guards would help push the Memphis lead to as much as 14 points, but it was still anybody’s game. JSU did not go away easily despite Memphis executing well on offense.
Angel Jackson and Daja Woodard did all they could with the three-point shot not falling for Jackson State. Woodard and Jackson combined for 10 of the 16 second-quarter points for JSU.
The energy for this game was there on both sides as the teams got face to face after a JSU foul, which led to a technical foul on Jackson State guard Daja Woodard.
Memphis went into halftime with a 43-32 lead.
In the second half, Memphis would continue their dominant performance as they came out on a quick 8-2 run.
Jamirah Shutes started the third quarter, scoring five straight points and putting Memphis up 51-34. Shutes led the team in scoring for the quarter, putting up 10 of the 17 third-quarter points, which helped Memphis gain a 60-45 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Memphis played stifling defense holding Jackson State to just 35 percent shooting from the field and scoreless from three in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Memphis had their largest lead of the game at 19 points after a layup from Destiny Thomas.
Jackson State would later go on a run to cut down the lead, but Memphis would not let the lead get down to single digits. Memphis was able to pull away and secure the victory.
As the game came to a close, tempers flared between Jackson State forward Daja Woodard and Memphis center Jada Wright. Both players would be assessed technical fouls. Woodard would be ejected as a result.
Memphis will now prepare to host the Ball State Cardinals in the second round of the WNIT tournament.
The game will be held at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Monday at 7 p.m. CT. Streaming and ticket details are TBD.
