The Memphis Women’s basketball team celebrated “901 Night” at Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Thursday night in a hard-fought loss against the South Florida Bulls.
The University gave out t-shirts, provided free food for students, and held multiple giveaways to showcase the women’s team to the community.
“We’re really just trying to reach out to the community,” said Memphis Women’s Basketball Associate Director of Communications Claire Johnson.
The Tigers entered the contest at 3-5 in conference play, while the perennial conference power USF Bulls came into the game at 4-4 in American Conference play.
The teams traded baskets in the opening minutes, as USF exploited the Memphis press and Memphis pounded the ball in the paint.
At the first timeout, just over 5 minutes into the game, the Tigers and Bulls were knotted up at 11.
South Florida controlled the rest of the first quarter, going on an 8-3 run to give themselves a 19-14 lead.
The Memphis offense stagnated in the second quarter, allowing South Florida to push their lead to double digits. Kai Carter kept the Tigers in the game with 6 second quarter points, but USF’s offense continued to give Memphis fits.
A late push by Memphis cut what was once a 14-point lead down to a 34-25 halftime deficit.
Continuing the “901 Night” theme, the famous Beale Street Flippers performed at halftime. The Athletics Department also gave away several gift cards to fans during the break.
The Bulls came out of halftime on fire, scoring the first 6 points of the third quarter. Memphis started to force USF turnovers, but their offense continued to stagnate.
At the first timeout of the second half, the Athletic Department offered a student one half-court shot for a chance at a year of Whataburger, continuing their efforts to get the students involved.
“We’re one of two teams that plays on campus, so we are really trying to keep the students on campus,” said Johnson.
At the end of quarter number 3, South Florida led 50-36.
Star South Florida junior forward Romi Levy kept the Tigers comeback hopes at bay, pushing her point total to 21 in the early stages of the fourth quarter.
South Florida won 69-49.
The Tigers will look to get back on track Saturday when they travel to Dallas to take on SMU. The game will be on ESPN+ at 2 P.M. CT.
