Tigers Taking to the Road for WBI Championship Game
Mar 27, 2010 | Women's Basketball
March 27, 2010
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For the first time since the Conference USA tournament, the University of Memphis women's basketball team (20-13) is taking to the road for the championship game in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Tigers will face Appalachian State (22-12) in the championship game of the first annual WBI tournament, Sunday, at 2 p.m. (ET) in Boone, N.C.
The championship game appearance is the first for the Tigers since the 1982-83, when Memphis was a finalist in the National Women's Invitational Tournament.
Memphis has used defense and balanced scoring to put together a three-game winning streak. Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Tigers forced 33 turnovers and used the turnovers to get out in transition, outscoring the Islanders 33-12 in points off turnovers.
Sophomore guard Ramses Lonlack had a career-best seven steals in the win over TAMUCC, adding 18 points and four rebounds. LaToya Bullard returned to the starting line-up for the first time in the tournament run, adding 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and leading Memphis with five assists and a steal in the win. Alex Winchell added 10 points off the bench, along withthree steals and two assists, while freshman Chatia Kelsey added a career-best nine points with two steals in 20 minutes of play.
Appalachian State, like Memphis, built a big lead to start their WBI semifinal game, and never looked back, downing conference foe College of Charleston for a third time this season by a 77-58 score.
Freshman 6-3 Ashlen Dewart scored 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting in the win over College of Charleston. The freshman had six total rebounds and three steals, while freshman forward Anna Freeman added 17 points and nine rebounds. Junior Sam Ramirez is a third double-digit scorer scorer with 10.4 ppg.
ASU has won eight of the last 10 games and is 10-6 at home this season. Memphis has bounced back after losing three straight and is 6-6 on the road this year.
The Series History
This will be our first-ever meeting with Appalachian State. The Tigers are 5-3 all-time against Southern Conference members, including a 1-0 mark over Georgia Southern and Western Carolina and a 3-2 mark against Chattanooga.
Turn, Turn, Turn
Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Memphis forced 33 Islander turnovers. The Tigers converted 21 steals into 33 points off turnovers, scoring 52 of their 80 points in the paint. Memphis now leads its opponents in steals 379-263.
Lonlack With the Steal
Sophomore Ramses Lonlack set a career high with seven steals in 28 minutes of play Thursday night. The sophomore now has 96 steals on the season and need four more for No. 100. The Memphis single season record for steals is 97, held by Linda McKinnie (1978-79). No Tiger has ever hit the 100 steal mark in a single season.
Dickson Rolling Toward 300
Freshman Nicole Dickson had her double-digit streak snapped at seven games with a four-point night against TAMUCC. The freshman is just six points shy of her 300th career point through just 32 career games played.
Kelsey Sets Career Mark
Freshman guard Chatia Kelsey also set a career high on Thursday night. The up and down tempo of the game and the Tigers' success in turning over the Islanders played right in to Kelsey's quick hands. Kelsey shot 4-for-7 from the field and finished with a career-best nine points, two rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Twenty!
The Tigers used the win over TAMUCC to move to 20 wins for the season, a mark the team has not seen since a 21-10 finish to the 2003-04 season.
,b>Ellis Pushing Toward 500/500 Club
Junior post Savannah Ellis is laying some groundwork to join the 500/500 Club. Ellis, who was the team's leading rebounder with eight boards against TAMUCC, now has 495 career boards and is working toward her 500th career point, currently at 445.
Winchell Looking for 700
Alex Winchell finished with just 10 points in the win over TAMUCC, but can still hit a milestone, needing just seven more points (she has 693) to hit 700 points in through 93 career games.
Winchell Sets New Single Season Triple Mark
After hitting 6-of-8 from three-point range on Sunday, junior guard Alex Winchell took over a the Memphis single season record for three-point field goals made. She now has 70 triples this season on 197 attempts, both school single season records. For her career, Winchell now has 147 career threes, ranking fifth, just five behind Kitty Allen's fourth-place mark with 152.
