University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Southern Miss
Lady Tigers Snap 15-Game Streak in Fieldhouse
Feb 17, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2000
MEMPHIS, TN - Memphis, Tenn.--The University of Southern Miss (14-11, 8-6) defeated the University of Memphis women's basketball team (15-9, 9-4), 79-68, in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, Thursday. The loss snapped a 15-game Elma Roane Fieldhouse and a six-game Conference USA winning streak for Memphis and was their first loss in The Fieldhouse since Jan. 22, 1999, when Louisville defeated the U of M.
"Southern Miss came out here to win this game," said Memphis head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "They came out on fire and got off to a great start. We were very out of sync and lacked focus. I will take a little bit of the blame because the first play I wanted to run, I wanted to go at (Angela) Atterberry. We tried it and we thought we should have gotten the foul call. We didn't get the foul in the first trip and from that point we were very out of sync."
The two teams were tied at 33 at the half despite USM running out to a 16-point lead. Memphis cut into that lead with 8:10 left when senior guard Yolanda Reed drove for two lay-ups as part of a 14-0 run. A Lauren Jackson three-pointer cut the lead to single digits before two of Angela Atterberry's 11 free throws upped the lead to 11. Reed finished with 12 points while junior Tiffany Adkins led the Lady Tigers with 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Tigers again pulled within single digits when Shannon Hamp converted two free throws. The Lady Tigers pulled even with USM, 28-28, at the 2:56 mark when Tamika Rogers converted a free throw for one of her six points.
The second half opened much the same for the U of M, as the two teams knotted the score four more times before USM took the lead for good on an Angela Atterberry jumper with 14:45 left in the game. Atterberry was everywhere for USM, finishing with 30 points and eight rebounds.
Memphis and Southern Miss each hit .448 in the first half, with the Golden Eagles shooting slightly better in the second half, .433 to Memphis' .419. Memphis held a rebounding advantage 38-36, but the game blew apart from beyond the three-point arch. Southern Miss finished with nine treys on 25 attempts while Memphis was 3-of-11 from beyond the arch. Sophomore Chanda Haley hit five threes and finished with 21 points.
"I applaud Southern Miss," said McNelis. "If Atterberry is not one of the best guards in the league, I don't know who is. She has a whole gang around her, but one thing she really has is a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of guts, and she just won't quit."
"We got our behinds kicked in Hattiesburg and I think we got the mindset that we couldn't beat them here," added McNelis. "Tonight, they were a better team than we are."
The Lady Tigers will finish out their home schedule when they host Tulane on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Net. Seniors Yolanda Reed, Pasha Cook and Rachel Bell will be honored in special Senior Day festivities before and after the game. Tulane enters the meeting with a 22-3 overall record, 11-3 in C-USA, after defeating UAB, 73-69, in Birmingham Thursday evening. Tulane's only losses this season have been to Marquette, Cincinnati and Louisville - all of which Memphis has defeated this season.
"This game Saturday will come down to guts and how bad we want this game," said McNelis. "I think this team will rise to my challenge and show how they can bounce back from this loss."
