Tigers Women's Basketball Defeats Southern Illinois Sunday

Sunday, November 29

Memphis, Tenn.

2 pm CT

University of Memphis

4-2

Southern Illinois

2-3

Southern Illinois

Memphis

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Women's Basketball Defeats Southern Illinois Sunday

Nov 29, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Hearn hits game-winning three-pointer for 61-58 victory.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. –The great ones step up at clutch time. And that's what University of Memphis senior guard Ariel Hearn did Sunday in the Tigers women's basketball 61-58 non-conference victory over Southern Illinois.

Hearn scored 12 of her team-high 14 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with :02.3 on the clock, in the final period. It was Hearn's first game-winning shot of her collegiate career.

With the win, Memphis improves to 4-2 and is now 4-0 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse this season. It's the Tigers' best home start since 2011-12 when that squad won its first 11 home games. Southern Illinois falls to 2-3 with the loss.

Asianna Fuqua-Bey added 12 points and seven rebounds, and Brianna Wright and Mooriah Rowser each scored 10 points. Taylor Williams grabbed seven rebounds.

Rishonda Napier led three Salukis in double figures with a game-high 16 points. Kylie Giebelhausen scored 15 points, and Dyana Pierre added 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Memphis held a 44-38 lead heading into the final quarter, but Southern Illinois went on a 13-7 run to open the final period and tied the game 51-all at the 5:46 mark. A minute later, the Salukis grabbed their first lead since 2:53 of the second period. Napier hit a layup to give Southern Illinois a 53-52 lead with 4:14 left.

That's when Hearn took over. Hearn hit a layup at the 3:44 mark to give Memphis a 54-53 lead and later hit a jumper with 1:34 left to put the Tigers ahead again at 58-56. Napier hit two free throws with 1:11 left to tie the contest at 58-all, setting up the dramatic final minute.

The Tigers' first chance to re-take the lead in the game's final minute came at the :45 mark, but Fuqua-Bey missed a layup, giving Southern Illinois the chance to take a lead. The Salukis, though, turned the ball over with :17 left when Cartaesha Macklin was called for a charge. After a timeout, Memphis inbounded the ball to Hearn, who walked it up the floor and buried a deep left-wing three-pointer with :02.3 remaining. Southern Illinois had a final attempt, but Napier's three-point shot missed the mark.

As in past home games, Memphis continued its trend of slow starts. The Tigers managed only nine points in the opening quarter and shot 16.7 percent from the field. Southern Illinois held a 10-9 lead after the first quarter.

Memphis picked the pace up a little in the second period. The Tigers grabbed their first lead of the contest at 14-12 on a Hearn jumper at the 7:52 mark. The jumper was Hearn's only points until the fourth quarter. After an exchange of baskets, Memphis took a 21-20 lead on a Fuqua-Bey layup with 2:53 left before half. The Tigers held the lead until four minutes left in the game.

In the third period, Memphis led throughout and even extended its advantage to eight points (44-36), the Tigers' largest lead of the game.

Memphis shot 42.9 percent from the floor, but hit 56.7 percent in the second half. The Salukis hit 35.5 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Tigers 40-30. Memphis committed 12 turnovers, with only three coming after halftime.

Sunday's game began a three-game homestand for the Tigers. This week, Memphis hosts Saint Louis Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. (CT) and nationally-ranked George Washington Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. (CT). Both games will be played at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.