Tigers Women's Basketball Posts 54-51 Win Over Cincinnati

Saturday, February 6

Memphis, Tenn.

2 pm CT

University of Memphis

13-10, 7-5American

Cincinnati

7-15, 3-8American

Cincinnati

Memphis

Photo by: Brandon Dill

Tigers Women's Basketball Posts 54-51 Win Over Cincinnati

Feb 06, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Hearn nets 17 points, Fuqua-Bey added 11 points in the victory.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It wasn't pretty, but the University of Memphis women's basketball team found a way to post a 54-51 American Athletic Conference win over longtime rival Cincinnati Saturday. The game was played before a crowd of 1,789 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

The win improved Memphis to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Bearcats fell to 7-15 and 3-8 in the conference.

Senior Ariel Hearn led the Tigers to the win with a game-high 17 points, including nine in the final 5:12 of the contest. Hearn also finished the game with four rebounds and one assist to give her 1,821 points, 501 rebounds and 400 assists for her career. She is the only player in school history – male or female – to have 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.

Hearn's fellow senior teammate, Asianna Fuqua-Bey, was Memphis' only other double-figure scorer with 11 points. She grabbed a team-best five rebounds and moved into the No. 8 spot on the Tigers all-time rebounding chart with 749. Loysha Morris had eight points, and Brea Elmore and Mooriah Rowser each added seven points.

Alyesha Lovett led Cincinnati with 14 points and also pulled down five boards. Bianca Quisenberry scored 11 points and dished out three assists. Ana Owens had a game-best six rebounds.

"It was only a big win because we were able to take the lead late in the game," said Tigers head coach Melissa McFerrin. "We certainly did not play our best basketball today. We weren't sharp mentally, and from an effort standpoint, we were a little slow. So, we changed defenses at the beginning of the fourth quarter to get us going.

"Asianna hit big free throws, and Ariel hit big free throws and another shot late or it would have been a different outcome. These are the games you just have to survive, and we're fortunate we did today."

In the previous seven match-ups, the winner's average point total was 57.9 and the losing team's 48.6. Saturday proved much the same with a low-scoring close contest.

The Bearcats took a narrow 41-40 lead into the fourth quarter and extended their advantage to five at 47-42 on a Quisenberry three-pointer with 6:55 left. That's when the Tigers – and in particular, Hearn – got going.

Hearn netted five (three-pointer, jumper) of Memphis' next six points in a 6-0 run over a 3:20 span to give the Tigers a 48-47 lead with 3:35 to go. The lead was the Tigers' first since they held a 17-15 advantage at the 6:30 mark of the second period.

From the 3:35 mark on, the game went back-and-forth. A Lovett layup put the Bearcats back in front at 49-48 with 3:22 left. Memphis answered two minutes later with two Fuqua-Bey free throws for a 50-49 lead.

Again, Cincinnati had a response with two Quisenberry free throws at the 1:00 mark for a 51-50 Bearcats' advantage. But, those free throws were Cincinnati's final points. Hearn hit two free throws with :45 on the clock for a 52-51 lead, and after a Rowser defensive rebound and a timeout, Hearn made two more free throws with :08 remaining for a 54-51 lead. A Owens three-point attempt with :01 left missed the mark, and Memphis took the heart-stopping win.

The game was close throughout with six ties and six lead changes, including three ties and five lead changes in the final quarter. The largest lead was eight points three times, once by Memphis and twice by Cincinnati.

Memphis was the team that got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 10-2 lead in the first seven minutes of the contest. Fuqua-Bey netted four of her 11 points in the game-opening run. Cincinnati, though, stayed within striking distance and trailed 12-7 by the first period's end.

The second quarter was Cincinnati's, with the Bearcats doubling up Memphis on the scoreboard in the period 20-10. The Tigers held a 17-15 advantage – their last lead until 3:35 in the fourth quarter – with 6:30 in the second before the Bearcats made their run. Cincinnati closed the second period on a 12-3 spurt to take a 27-22 lead into the halftime break. Lovett's four points and Quisenberry's trey at the halftime buzzer spurred Cincinnati's rally.

The Bearcats carried that momentum into the third period's opening six minutes. On two occasions in those six minutes, Cincinnati had an eight-point advantage, with one time having the ball with the opportunity for a double-digit lead. The Bearcats' last eight-point advantage was 39-31 at the 3:48 mark.

Cincinnati, however, did not capitalize on those chances, and Memphis started chipping away at the lead. The Tigers closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run, fueled by Fuqua-Bey's five points and one assist, to pull to within one at 41-40 and set up the thrilling final period.

Memphis shot 38 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from the free throw line. The Tigers, though, were 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati shot 38.6 percent from the floor, 42.1 percent from the arc and 90 percent from the free throw line.

The Bearcats out-rebounded Memphis 31-27. The Tigers forced 25 Cincinnati turnovers.

The Tigers return to action Wednesday, Feb. 10 when they travel to Orlando, Fla., to face UCF in an American Athletic Conference contest. Game time is 6 p.m. (CT) from CFE Arena.