After a blowout loss at Mississippi State, the Memphis women’s basketball team defeated the Samford Bulldogs 88-75.
Memphis made a change in the starting lineup, benching point guard Tanyuel Welch opting for Ole Miss transfer Elauna Eaton.
Samford jumped the Tigers early, pounding the ball inside to Emily Bowman. Their lead ballooned up to 12 mid-way through the first quarter.
Coach Simmons subbed Welch into the contest, and the Tigers ratcheted up their defensive intensity in the last five minutes of the first quarter.
The Tigers deployed a full-court trap and closed the quarter on a 12-1 run, bringing a 12-point deficit down to a 19-18 game.
Memphis started the second quarter with the same intensity, taking their first lead of the game early in the period.
After closing the first quarter on a run, the Tigers started the second on an 11-0 spurt. Samford scored 18 points in the first 5:04 of the contest, but Memphis held them to 10 points in the next 10 minutes of action.
At halftime, the Tigers held a 42-41 lead. Memphis forced 10 Bulldog turnovers, but they turned it over 9 times themselves. Alasia Smith led the way for the Tigers with 13 points and 6 rebounds in the first half.
Samford came out of halftime in control. Guard Clair Johnson hit a pair of jumpers, and the Bulldogs took back the lead.
Memphis brought out the three-quarter court pressure to capture control of the game once again. Heading into the fourth, Memphis led 63-57, with Alasia Smith at 20 points.
Raven Sims buried a corner three right in front of the Memphis bench to give the Tigers a 7-point cushion. Then, Tilly Boler hit a three and Memphis had their first double-figure lead.
Memphis continued to separate themselves, pushing the lead to 16 with just over two minutes to go in the game.
As the final horn sounded, Memphis improved to 2-1 on the season. Alasia Smith finished with 28 points and 7 rebounds.
The Tigers will travel to Muncie, Indiana for a midweek tilt against Ball State on Wednesday, before returning home to play Southeast Louisiana next Tuesday. The game Wednesday will be at 6:30 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+.
