Memphis Women's Basketball hit the road to play FAU for their final regular season game of the year, looking to end the year on a positive note. An anemic offensive start to each half by Memphis would be the downfall of the Tigers, falling to the Owls 69-62.
The first quarter was a feeling out period for the Owls and Tigers; both offenses struggled out the gates, starting a combined 0-9 from the field.
Despite Memphis getting on the board first, the Owls found their footing and launched into a 15-4 run, albeit a fairly inefficient one. Meanwhile, the Tigers shot just 4-17 from the field in the first quarter and really had a tough time getting anything going.
The second period didn't do Memphis many favors, either. The offense scored at a higher clip, but the Tigers gave up three triples while not hitting a single one for the entire first half, despite being the best three-point shooting team in the country by percentage entering this game. Tack on nine first half Memphis turnovers, and FAU takes a six-point lead into halftime.
This trend did not subside in the second half, as Memphis started 0-11 from the field and allowed FAU to build a 15-point lead. Then out of nowhere, Memphis exploded with an 11-0 run led by Tamya Smith, who finished the game with 21 points.
This infusion of life into the Tigers' offense cuts the Owls lead back to six entering the fourth quarter.
In the final period of the game, Elauna Eaton caught fire with eight points and two threes made. The Tigers continued to hang around and hang around, but FAU had enough left in the tank to get the win.
After a 7-22 regular season riddled with injuries and tough games, Memphis limps into the AAC tournament as a 10 or 11 seed.
