After a shocking loss to SELU on Tuesday, Memphis women’s basketball looked to course correct at Elma Roane against Murray State. The Tigers dropped their 3rd straight game 87-84 after a lackluster 4th quarter.
The game started off really well for Memphis. The offense was seamless, and they looked to be the more physical team, resulting in a 16-8 rebound advantage in the opening period. 11 of which were grabbed by Alasia Smith and Quinzia Fullmore.
The first quarter ended with Memphis up by nine, led by transfers Tilly Boler and Elauna Eaton. Boler had 4 points and a pair of steals, while Eaton had 5 points.
It was the second quarter that signaled a shift in how the game would continue. Murray State found themselves not being able to hit from the field, so they ramped up the aggression and earned a lot of trips to the free throw line. In the 2nd quarter alone, the Racers made 9 attempts and got Alasia Smith, the leading rebounder to this point, in foul trouble.
Memphis would go ice cold from the field in this period, shooting just 7-18. Without the defensive presence of Smith, Haven Ford led her team on a 9-2 run to cut the Tiger lead to only five going into halftime.
Ford, who finished the game with 31 points, led her team towards an up-tempo affair as the second half started. Living up to their name, the Racers stopped settling for threes and continued to drive towards the hoop with ease. When Memphis in bounded the ball, they trapped the woman receiving the pass which led to more turnovers and easy points.
The few times the Tigers did break the traps, the possessions often resulted in points. While Memphis outshot Murray State form the field, another 8 free throws kept the game tied at 64 headed into the final quarter.
It would be here where Murray State made their move. A 10-0 run to open the fourth quarter would leave Memphis searching for answers, punctuated by a dagger three from Trinity White. While Memphis would answer with an 8-0 run of their own, it was too little, too late.
Takeaways:
This was yet another game that Memphis had in their hands, yet it slipped away. If the energy and momentum from the first quarter carried over into the rest of the game, Memphis would likely walk away with a big win.
This game was lost at the free throw line, plain and simple. Murray State has a very deep rotation of guards and defending the hot hand was paramount to a Tiger win…sending them to the line to make 24 shots at the line as a team was not the answer.
Memphis is back in action on December 1st at ETSU in Johnson City.
