University of Memphis Athletics
Women's Basketball Awaiting C-USA Tournament Opponent
Mar 06, 2012 | Women's Basketball
March 6, 2012
Memphis C-USA Quarterfinals Notes
The University of Memphis women's basketball team will be bystanders for the first round action in the Conference USA women's basketball championships, but the host Tigers hope to not be too accommodating in their role as tournament hosts in the quest for the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth and the program's first C-USA championship since 1998. The Tigers await the winner of the No. 7 Marshall vs. No. 10 SMU match-up. Those two teams will square off at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and the winner will face Memphis at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Memphis split the regular season match-up with Marshall, winning in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, 71-58, then falling on the road in Huntington, 65-54, Memphis' worst loss of the season at 11 points. Memphis won the one meeting with SMU, coming back from 13 down in a game at Dallas in a 60-55 victory, Memphis' first-ever victory over SMU on the road.
The Tigers hope to take advantage of the home court advantage. Memphis is hosting the Conference USA women's basketball championships for the first time since 2003. That Tiger squad was upended by Marquette in the first round in the final women's games played at The Pyramid in downtown Memphis. The Tigers moved to FedExForum, the site of the women's semifinals and finals, the following year.
The Tigers are looking to prove that all their post-season accolades were well-earned. Senior forward Jasmine Lee was named the C-USA Player of the Year after averaging a double-double this season of 15.2 points and 10.0 rebounds. Senior guard Ramses Lonlack has been a thorn in the side of point guards in C-USA for four seasons now, and capped her senior season with the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Should Marshall advance through to the match-up with Memphis, it will face a Tiger line-up that includes Lonlack this time. The senior missed the loss at Marshall due to an ankle injury she suffered in practice the day before the game. Senior Brittany Carter and junior forward Nicole Dickson also got in on the post season awards action, with a pair of second team all-conference honors. It's Carter's third C-USA all-conference honor, and is Dickson's first. Carter is still climbing back after an ankle injury suffered at East Carolina at the end of January, while Dickson is looking to bounce back from her first single-digit scoring outing in four games, after finishing with just six points, her lowest scoring outing since the season opener, in the win at Rice.
Tigers vs. Marshall
If Marshall advances through to the quarterfinals, it will be the 17th meeting between Memphis and Marshall, an impressive total given that the teams had never met before the Thundering Herd joined C-USA in 2005-06. Marshall has the upper hand in the overall series, 11-5, and snapped a four-game Memphis winning streak in the series history with an 11 point win, 65-54, that ended up being the worst loss of the season for the Tigers. Memphis played without senior guard Ramses Lonlack in that meeting. The senior had suffered an ankle injury in practice leading up to the game and had to sit on the sidelines and watch the Marshall pressure erase a 30-22 Memphis halftime lead.
The Thundering Herd and the Tigers have tangled a number of times in the C-USA tournament. Marshall eliminated the Tigers from the Conference USA tournament in both 2006 and 2009 as part of a 10-game winning streak against Memphis. If it is the Thundering Herd on the other side of the court from Memphis, the Tigers would be looking for their first-ever win over Marshall in a conference tournament.
Tigers vs. SMU
SMU joined C-USA the same year Marshall did, but the Tigers' series history with them is significantly shorter. SMU leads the overall series with Memphis, 5-3, and the two teams have never met in a C-USA tournament game. Memphis has won two straight games in the overall series, including a come from behind win at SMU on Feb. 9th that saw Memphis erase a 36-23 SMU halftime lead in an eventual 60-55 victory, Memphis' first-ever win in Dallas.
Post Season Awards
The Tigers earned a handful of individual player honors earlier this week. Senior post Jasmine Lee became the first Memphis player since Tamika Whitmore (1998, 1999) to be named the Conference USA Player of the Year, while senior guard Ramses Lonlack garnered the program's first C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Award since Kitty Allen in 1997. Lee was also named First Team All-C-USA, while Brittany Carter and Nicole Dickson were named Second Team All-C-USA honorees. Lonlack also earned her third consecutive nod to the All-Defensive Team. Memphis led C-USA with three all-conference honorees, and it marked the first time since 1997 that a Memphis squad has had three all-conference honorees.
Tigers at No. 2
Memphis heads in to this week's Conference USA championship with its highest seed since the 1998 season, when the Tigers were in their second consecutive year as the league's top seed. Memphis has never been a No. 2 seed before in the C-USA championships. After going 2-1 at last year's championships in UTEP, Memphis is 13-14 overall in C-USA tournament games. That semifinals appearance was the first for Memphis since the 1998 season. Memphis has received a first round bye four times and is 3-1 in the quarterfinal round after a first round bye. Unfortunately, the one loss was in 2010, when Memphis received a first round bye for the tournament hosted by Tulsa, then was upended by East Carolina, 73-66.
Memphis seed in C-USA tournament: 2011 -- No. 6 2006 -- No. 12 2001 -- No. 6 2010 -- No. 4 2005 -- No. 9 2000 -- No. 3 2009 -- No. 10 2004 -- No. 6 1999 -- No. 5 2008 -- No. 7 2003 -- No. 8 1998 -- No. 1 2007 -- No. 12 2002 -- No. 10 1997 -- No. 1 1996 -- No. 3
Bubbly
A road win at Rice helped Memphis' RPI creep up to 72 from 76, but Memphis likely needs some heavy lifting to get its dance card filled. Winning on their home court could help as other conference's wrap up their league championships and automatic spots start to get sorted. The only other team in C-USA above Memphis in the NCAA RPI is UTEP (at 54). Tulane (81), UAB (103), Tulsa (160), Marshall (168), Rice (172), SMU (191), UCF (195), Southern Miss (205), East Carolina (224) and Houston (318) round out the league RPIs. At the same time, Memphis has to be wary that a road win over the Tigers would help someone else's argument for an NCAA slot. Memphis is 15-1 at home this season, including a 13-1 record in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
In the Tigers' non-conference match-ups, Saint Louis, Belmont and UA-Pine Bluff have all seen their seasons already come to an end. The road win at UALR could look good, as the Trojans have advanced to the finals of the Sun Belt tournament and are at 111 on the RPI chart with a championship game with No. 38 RPI Middle Tennessee on the horizon. Memphis also has a win in the books over UT Martin (RPI 101), who just won their second straight Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship to punch its NCAA ticket. Memphis also suffered just a four point set back vs. St. John's (RPI 11) on their home floor in the championship game of the Red Storm's tournament.
Appropriate to Have a League Championship Tournament at Ms. Roane's House
The is the 40th season that women's basketball has been a varsity sport at Memphis. It's been a bitter sweet celebration, as Elma Roane, the women's athletic director who returned women's sports to varsity status at the university, passed away in September at the age of 93.
The Elma Roane Fieldhouse was dedicated to the former coach, teacher and athletic director in 1993, renaming Memorial Gym the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Most Conference USA Regular Season Wins
Memphis won its 13th Conference USA contest on the road at Rice, coming back from a six-point half time deficit to win, 65-60, against a Rice team that needed a win on their senior night to secure a top four seed, and a first round bye. The 13 wins ties the 1998 squad as the most conference wins for any Tiger squad, including Memphis' days in the Metro and Great Midwest Conferences. But despite all the regular season wins, it's win and advance time now.
Dickson Clears the Grand Mark
Nicole Dickson was held to just six points in the win at Rice, but her first field goal of the night pushed her past the 1,000 point mark, becoming the second Tiger this season to get her 1,000th career point. She is the 22nd player in Memphis history to hit the 1,000 point mark. She is already in the career record books in three-point shots. Her 106 triples makes her just the sixth player in Tiger history to have 100 or more threes made.
The only time a Memphis team has sported three 1,000 point scorers on the same roster was the 1995-96 season (LaTonya Johnson, Keeta Matthews, Kitty Allen).
Dickson didn't let a tough shooting night from the floor rattle her. After shooting 2-for-10 from the field, the Owls opted to foul Dickson with Memphis up just two, 62-60, with 32 seconds to go. Dickson drained both free-throws to give Memphis a four-point cushion with 27 seconds remaining to finish with six points, just her fifth single digit scoring game this season. She was also held off the offensive glass for the second time in the last four games, although she finished with six defensive boards and tied a career-high with six assists in the win. That was the fourth time this year she has handed out six assists in a game.
Abdul-Qaadir Three Assists Shy of 100
Sophomore Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir is just three assists shy of her first 100 assist season in her first year manning the point for the Tigers. The redshirt sophomore played behind senior Alex Winchell last season, finishing with 40 assists in 34 games. This year, she has 97 assists in 29 games. Her steals and scoring are also up. After 28 picks last year, she has 68 this year, and after averaging 3.9 ppg as a freshman, she is averaging 7.5 ppg this year. She has also seen her minutes increase from 12.3 a night to 29.9 and she has started every game at the point for Memphis with the exception of the senior night game on Sunday. If she can get to 100 assists, she will be the third Tiger point guard in three seasons to have 100 or more assists in a season (LaToya Bullard with 134 in 2009-2010 and Alex Winchell with 149 in 2010-2011).
A Duo of Double-Doubles
Nicole Dickson and Jasmine Lee each put a double-double in the books in wins over UAB and Tulsa. Dickson finished with 19 points and 19 rebounds vs. UAB, while Lee finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. On Sunday, against Tulsa, Lee finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Dickson finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. That was Lee's eighth 20-plus point game of the season and her 14th double-double of the season (her eighth against C-USA opponents). That was Dickson's 10th double-double of the season (her second straight vs. league competition).
Memphis has had six games now this season where two players have posted a double-double:
vs. Belmont -- Jasmine Lee (19 pts, 12 rebs), Nicole Dickson (10 pts, 10 rebs)
at Illinois -- Jasmine Lee (13 pts, 12 rebs.), Nicole Dickson (10 pts, 11 rebs..)
vs. UT Martin -- Jasmine Lee (18 pts, 10 rebs.), Nicole Dickson (11 pts, 10 rebs.)
at Missouri -- Jasmine Lee (10 pts, 12 rebs.), Brittany Carter (14 pts, 10 rebs.)
vs. UAB -- Jasmine Lee (20 pts, 13 rebs.), Nicole Dickson (19 pts, 19 rebs.)
vs. Tulsa -- Jasmine Lee (20 pts, 14 rebs.), Nicole Dickson (17 pts, 10 rebs.)
Starting Line-up Changes
Memphis went through the first 19 games of the regular season with the senior-heavy starting lineup of Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, Brittany Carter, Ramses Lonlack, Nicole Dickson and Jasmine Lee. Then the injury bug bit and since then, the Tigers have used eight different line-ups in the next nine games.
Needing 60 & Avoiding 60
The Tigers have to keep an eye on the 60-point mark. Memphis is 0-4 when scoring 59 or fewer points.
On the reverse side, Memphis needs to keep opponents from reaching the 60-point mark. In the five C-USA games that the opponent has scored 60 or more points, the Tigers are 2-3 (the win over Tulsa was the first time a C-USA opponent has scored 60 or more on Memphis in a Tiger win, Rice repeated that same 60 point barrier, also in a loss, on Thursday). Memphis is 11-0 when the opposition scores 59 or fewer points.
Lee's 14th Double-Double
Senior forward Jasmine Lee posted her 13th double-double of the year against UAB and her 14th in the win over Tulsa. That is the most for a Tiger since Tamika Whitmore had 13 in her senior season in 1998-99.
In her two year career as a Tiger, Lee now has 22 career double-doubles, which ranks her fourth in school history. Lee now averages a double-double for the season (14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds).
Career Double-Doubles
Regina Street 65
Keeta Matthews 36
Kim Duppins 27
Jasmine Lee 22
Third Straight 20-Win Season
The UCF victory was also Memphis' 20th win this season. Memphis has put together three or more 20-win seasons three times before in the program's 40-year history.
2011-12: 20-6 1994-95: 22-8 1980-81: 20-11 1976-77: 27-9 2010-11: 20-13 1995-96: 20-11 1981-82: 26-5 1977-78: 29-9 2009-10: 20-14 1996-97: 22-7 1982-83: 20-12 1978-79: 26-7 1997-98: 22-8 1998-99: 22-10
This season marks the first time since the 1996-97 season that the Tigers are hitting the 20-win mark in the regular season and not in the conference or some other post season tournament. In all, this is Memphis' 19th 20-win season in history.
son complete.
