Memphis Women's basketball(5-15, 3-6) defeated East Carolina(11-11, 3-7) 75-69 behind a stellar defensive performance.
Both the Tigers and the Pirates entered the game towards the bottom of the American Athletic Conference standings, with ECU in 9th and the Tigers in 10th.
In a game within the game, Memphis' DeeDee Hagemann battled against her sister, ECU freshman Devin Hagemann, for the first time in their college careers. The Hagemann family sat behind the Pirates bench, wearing DeeDee and Devin sweatshirts.
In a repeat of Memphis' Wednesday night loss to Charlotte, the Tigers allowed East Carolina to jump out to a 6-0 lead.
Memphis came back quickly, however, in a blazing fast, high scoring first quarter. Both DeeDee and Devin showed out early, each scoring 5 points in the first. At the end of 1, the score was knotted at 21.
The pace slowed considerably in the second period, and East Carolina used their size advantage to go into the break with a 33-32 lead.
Memphis took full control of the contest in the third quarter, outscoring the Pirates 21-11 in the period thanks to 8 points by Tilly Boler, who notably did not start the contest.
Heading into the fourth with the lead, Tanyuel Welch shined in the final period. She scored 12 of her 21 points in the final frame and also brought in 9 rebounds.
The Tigers won 75-69 to get their 5th win of the season.
As for the Hagemann battle, Devin outscored DeeDee, putting up 14 points and 6 assists. DeeDee put in 11 and 5 assists in the winning effort.
The Tigers will look to build some momentum when they take on Temple at 10 a.m. CT on February 5 on ESPN+.
