University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
4-4
Central Michigan
3-2
@MemphisWBKB Hangs on For 62-61 Win
Dec 06, 2014 | Women's Basketball
MEMPHIS - Sophomore Taylor Williams tied up a rebound off a missed Central Michigan (3-2) free throw that would have forced overtime in a 62-61 University of Memphis (4-4) win, Saturday. The Tigers held on for the win, evening their record at .500 despite watching a 21-point second half lead dwindle away.
"We came out and put a run on them early in the second half. Our goal was to not let them score in the first four minutes of the game. We didn't let them score in the first three minutes, but then gave up seven straight points including a basket on an offensive rebound," head coach Melissa McFerrin said. "It seemed like we were falling off a cliff after that. We couldn't get solid. We couldn't get right. We couldn't make a layup. A lot of our missed layups turned into an easy transition for them."
Playing without a pair of starters (Jewel Cotton - injury; Crystal Bradford - one game suspension), Central Michigan struggled in the first half to get its offense set up. Six turnovers in the early going allowed Memphis to sneak out to an early lead. A pair of Ariel Hearn three-point field goals started an 8-3 Memphis run that pushed the lead to double-digits at 23-10 with 7:19 left in the opening half.
CMU answered with a three from Kerby Tamm, one of six triples she hit on the night, but Memphis freshman Brea Elmore downed three straight triples to seemingly put the Chippewas away for the half at 36-19 with 2:01 left. But Tamm knocked down one more triple and CMU went to the locker room with some momentum, trailing 36-22.
"Our goal was to have three-three point field goals allowed in the entire game and we gave up five in the first half," McFerrin said. "Of their eight field goals, five were from behind the three-point line from one player. We were switching a lot because of their dribble-drive offense, but when you switch onto a shooter, you have to recognize that your assignment changed. They got to the lane on us in the second half. They really made a focus to get into the lane with their guards."
The second half started with a lot of pace, as a Hearn three seemed to start a Tiger rout. An Asianna Fuqua-Bey layup and a pair of Breigha Wilder-Cochran free-throws later, the Tigers have pushed the lead to 21 at 43-22 with 17:40 to play.
But then the Chippewas' zone forced Memphis to go ice-cold, and when CMU started out-rebounding the Tigers, Memphis was finding its turnovers and missed shots going the other way for quick points in transition as CMU went on an 8-0 run to cut the Memphis deficit to 43-31 with 15:51 to play. CMU had 12 fast break points in the second half alone and scored 12 points off Memphis turnovers in the second stanza.
Following a pair of Mooriah Rowser free-throws, CMU went right back at the Tigers' using a 12-0 run to cut Memphis' lead to one at 45-44 with 12:02 to play. The score remained there for a while, as both teams missed layups at the rim. It took five minutes for Memphis to get another bucket after a Cheyenne Creighton score, and a Hearn layup with 6:11 to play started a 6-0 Memphis run that gave the Tigers a five-point cushion at 53-48. But again, Memphis turnovers turned in to fast points on the other end and a Jas'Mine Bracey shot in the paint erased what had been a 21-point Memphis lead at one point, giving CMU its first lead since the 19:13 mark in the opening half.
But Fuqua-Bey stuck back a bucket in the paint, part of her season-high 16 point effort, and Mooriah Rowser hit three of four free-throws to give Memphis a 60-56 lead with 26 seconds to go.
Following a layup from Lorreal Jones, CMU fouled Hearn on the inbounds play. Hearn hit those two free throws for a 62-58 Memphis cushion, but CMU went right up the court and right to the rim, past Tiger defenders who were defending against a three-point shot. Jessica Green's layup cut the Chippewa deficit to just two at 62-60, and the Tigers again had to inbound the ball under the CMU goal after the timeout. Again, Hearn got the ball, but this time missed both attempts at the free-throw line, then fouled Da'Jourie Turner, who was bringing the ball up the court in front of the Tiger bench with 0.9 seconds left.
Turner stepped to the line and knocked down her first try, for a 62-61 score in the Tigers' favor, but her second shot rolled to the right of the rim and was tied up by Taylor Williams to preserve the Tiger victory.
Hearn finished with 17 points to lead Memphis. Fuqua-Bey added 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting, adding two assists, one block and a steal in 36 minutes.
"I thought Asia played really well the whole game. She wasn't on the glass like we're used to seeing her on the glass," McFerrin said. "She was guarding on the perimeter a lot. In the first half, she was very aggressive with the ball in the lane. Brea Elmore came in and hit a pair of threes when they got into their zone. We were hoping to have her do the same in the second half. We've got to continue to help those freshmen understand that every time they go in, it's a critical time."
Following final exams in the coming week, the Tigers will fly to Washington, D.C. for a pair of non-conference games. Memphis plays at Georgetown, Saturday, then plays at George Washington, Monday, Dec. 15th. Memphis plays its final home game of the non-conference slate, Friday, Dec. 19th, against Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m.
