Memphis Women's Baskteball took the court against North Texas (11-4; 3-0) at home and lost in dramatic fashion 73-71. It was close affair throughout the game, with neither team taking more than a nine point lead.
"I'm proud of the team for their fight," said Alex Simmons after the game. "I'm very proud of Alasia Smith and her leadership on the court and her fight on the court." Smith had a 16 and 12 double-double, while hitting a lot of tough shots down the stretch. She stood out for Memphis on the interior despite the Tigers giving up 56 points in the paint and 25 second chance points on 17 offensive rebounds.
It was a tale of two halves for Memphis, which started a tad sluggish on the offensive end. After the previous game's offensive explosion, the Tigers shot just 1-10 from three in the first half and only 36.1% from the field.
This was in no small part due to the Mean Green defense restricting ball movement, especially in the first quarter; Memphis had zero assists in the opening period and three in the first half, the team averages about 12 per game. It was a half of offense that Coach Simmons described as "stagnant."
The second half, especially the third quarter, was much better for the Tigers' offense. Led by Tilly Boler, who finished with 19, and DeeDee Hagemann, who finished with 16, the Tigers shot it much better from deep (5-9). This, combined with the great post play from North Texas' Tommisha Lampkin and Aniyah Johnson, led both teams into a gritty battle that came down to the final posession.
In a 71-71 tie, Mean Green guard Ereauna Hardaway drove down the lane to hit what would be the game winning shot. Memphis had 2.1 seconds to respond out of a timeout and Alasia Smith had a great look, but it just didn't fall.
"With two seconds left, that's a great shot, our play was executed really, really well," said Simmons. The exact same play was executed the possession before for Smith and it was made to tie the game at 71 to begin with.
The Tigers are back at it on Jan. 8 on the road against UAB.
