Tigers Women's Basketball Hosts Illinois Saturday

Saturday, December 19

Memphis, Tenn.

2 pm CT

University of Memphis

Illinois

Tickets

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Dec 18, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Annual Teddy Bear Toss for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital to be held at halftime.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis women's basketball team hosts its final game before Christmas break Saturday. The Tigers host Illinois at 2 p.m. (CT) at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, with the annual Teddy Bear Toss for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital to be held at halftime.

Sometimes, that last game before the break can be a tough one to get through with the holiday quickly approaching. But, head coach Melissa McFerrin believes her Tigers will give Illinois their full attention Saturday afternoon, especially after the Fighting Illini's 60-58 narrow victory a year ago in Champaign, Ill.

"It's been a very close series, and we lost to them last season," said McFerrin. "They are coming to us this year, and it's an Illinois team with a few new faces and a new energy.

"They play a 'buzz' defense, and they will scramble some on that end of the floor. They are going to be big on the boards, and they'll try to keep the score low.

"Their pressure is some on-ball, but it's mostly lane pressure. You have to have courageous guards going into the gaps of their defense, knowing their bigs are going to collapse. It's hard to throw skip passes over their length. You have to be brave when you go into the teeth of their defense. Their defense makes you uncomfortable."

The following are some notes on Saturday's match-up:

Radio: 91.7 FM (WUMR)
TV: None
Internet Video: www.gotigersgo.com/watch
Live Stats: memphis.statbroadcast.com
YouTube Interviews: Available on the SIDMemphis channel
LiveTweet: @MemphisWBKB, #MEMWBKB, #GoTigersGo

Tigers Tidbits • Five Memphis Notes to Know
• Saturday's contest is the Tigers' final non-conference encounter of 2015-16. It is also Memphis' last game before the Christmas break. The Tigers return to action after Christmas with their American Athletic Conference opener at Temple Dec. 30. Memphis' American Athletic Conference home opener is Jan. 3, 2016, versus Tulane at 4 p.m. (CT).

• Illinois holds a 4-1 series lead over Memphis and has won four-straight, including last season's 60-58 victory in Champaign, Ill. The series is tied 1-1 in games played in the Bluff City, but Memphis' win was in 1982-83. The Tigers won that encounter, a 102-62 victory Dec. 30, 1982. The Fighting Illini won the last meeting at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, a 73-65 win Dec. 9, 2012.

• Aside from the first game in the series in 1982-83, the four other meetings all were close calls. The last four games – all Fighting Illini wins – were single-digit affairs, and the average margin of victory in those four contests was 6.3 points.

• Memphis looks for the sweep of the state of Illinois Saturday. The foe, the Illinois Fighting Illini, is the third Tigers' opponent from the Prairie State. Memphis already posted victories over Eastern Illinois 80-49 and Southern Illinois 61-58 earlier this season.

• Senior Asianna Fuqua-Bey is nearing the top-10 on the Memphis all-time rebounding chart. The 6-foot-1 forward enters Saturday's game with 673 career rebounds. LaTonya Johnson (1994-98) currently holds the No. 10 spot with 686 career boards.

Scouting Illinois
The Fighting Illini enter Saturday's game with a 7-1 record, the program's best start since Illinois opened the 1981-82 campaign with a 10-0 mark. All seven wins were home victories, while the one setback came on the road at Miami, Fla. Saturday's game is only the second road test for the Fighting Illini in 2015-16. Illinois played last Saturday, taking a break from competition during the week for final exams. Catrice White leads a trio of double-figure scorers with a 17.5 scoring average. Cierra Rice (13.8 ppg) and Kyley Simmons (13.5 ppg) also average double figures. White also leads the squad with a 9.5 rebounding average. Head coach Matt Bollant is in his fourth season and recorded his 50th victory as the Illinois head coach Dec. 12.