University of Memphis Athletics
Lady Tigers Host 19th Annual Lady Tiger Kroger Classic
Nov 26, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2003
MEMPHIS, TENN. - This Week: Memphis will be very busy this week, hosting the 19th annual Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic. The tournament, which is sponsored by Kroger, will also feature Ole Miss, Eastern Kentucky and Nebraska. The Lady Tigers will open the tourney on Friday against EKU at 6 p.m. Ole Miss and Nebraska will meet at 8 p.m. The consolation game will be played Saturday at 5 p.m., with the championship game to follow. Memphis has won the tournament the last 11 straight years. Last season, Memphis defeated Michigan State, 59-56, in the championship game. The Lady Tigers enter the tournament with a 2-0 record after picking up one of their biggest wins in the last couple of years. Memphis took to the road early this week and left Cookeville with a 71-50 victory over Tennessee Tech. It was only the fifth time in 19 meetings that Memphis had defeated Tech, and was the first time ever that the Lady Tigers had left Cookeville with a win. Junior Victoria Crawford currently leads the Lady Tigers in scoring with an average of 19.5 points per game. Sophomore Tamika Butler and junior Jennifer Sullivan, who both posted career highs in scoring against Tech, follow Crawford with averages of 14.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Freshman Megan Gooch, who has started both games this season, is the leading rebounder with an average of 6.0 boards per game.
Scouting EKU: The Lady Colonels are 1-1 on the year with a win over Gardner-Webb, 69-59, and a loss to Miami, 90-81, last weekend in the Morehead State Tip-off Classic. Leigh Carr and Ashleigh Huffman both recorded career highs against Miami, as Carr totaled 17 points and Huffman chipped in 13. EKU was picked in the preseason to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference, after finishing 18-11 overall; 10-6 in the OVC, last season. Coach Larry Joe Inman is expected to start sophomore Laura Shelton and senior Katie Kelly at guard; junior Miranda Eckerle at center; and juniors Candis Cook and Pam Garrett at forward. Carr leads the squad in scoring with 15.0 ppg., and Eckerle is the leading rebounder with 8.5 boards a game.
The Series: The Lady Tigers own a 4-0 series advantage over EKU, dating back to the 1974-74 season. Memphis picked up a win in 1973-74, and two victories in 1974-75, before the series took a 26-year break. The last time the two squads met was an 89-66 Memphis win during the 2000-01 season at the Rice University tournament. The only time that Memphis and Nebraska met was in 1977-78 when the Lady Tigers picked up the 88-55 win on the road. Ole Miss owns a 29-12 series advantage dating back to the 1972-73 season. The Lady Rebels have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including the last three straight games. The last meeting with the Lady Rebels was in 1999-2000, when Ole Miss hosted the 71-50 victory. The Lady Tigers are 6-8 in games played in Memphis.
Up Next: The Lady Tigers will face either Ole Miss (2-1) or Nebraska (2-0) on Saturday. Nebraska has wins over Wofford (104-46) and Princeton (75-61), while Ole Miss has defeated Jackson State (83-58) and Belmont (78-62) and lost to Rutgers on the road (65-50).
