Tigers Women's Basketball Drops 70-60 Decision At Minnesota

Saturday, December 12

Minneapolis, Minn.

2 pm CT

University of Memphis

4-5

Minnesota

6-2

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Memphis	17	20	8	15	60
Minnesota	14	15	27	14	70

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Women's Basketball Drops 70-60 Decision At Minnesota

Dec 12, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Fuqua-Bey, Creighton lead the Memphis effort.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – University of Memphis Asianna Fuqua-Bey recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Cheyenne Creighton posted career bests with 14 points and eight boards, but it wasn't enough as Minnesota defeated the Tigers 70-60 at the Williams Center Saturday.

Memphis falls to 4-5 on the season. The Golden Gophers improve to 6-2.

The Tigers look to bounce back Tuesday, Dec. 15 when they continue this two-game road swing at Central Michigan. Game time is 11 a.m. (CT) from Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

For Fuqua-Bey, the double-double performance was the second of the season and the seventh of her career. Creighton bettered her previous career highs of 12 points and seven rebounds.

Mooriah Rowser scored eight points, and Taylor Williams added seven points and three rebounds. Ariel Hearn, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, finished with six points, seven rebounds and six assists. Hearn's seven boards tied a season best, and her six assists were a season high.

The Rachel Banham-Carlie Wagner tandem led the Golden Gophers. Banham netted a game-high 23 points, and Wagner added 21 points. Banham also grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Memphis defense kept the visitors from the Bluff City in the game. The Tigers held Minnesota to 15 points below its season scoring average (84.9 ppg). The Golden Gophers, which entered the game hitting a nation's fourth-best 10.7 three-pointers per game, were held to only three treys made Saturday. In fact, the Tigers defense held Minnesota to 20 percent from the arc (3-of-15). The Golden Gophers entered Saturday's game hitting nearly 37 percent from the three-point line (36.9).

Memphis held a 37-29 advantage at the half, but Minnesota turned the game around with a 19-2 third-period run. Banham (seven points) and Wagner (six) combined for 13 of the Golden Gophers' 19 points in the spurt. Creighton helped keep the Tigers close, scoring six points and assisting on another basket to account for all eight Memphis points in the period. Minnesota led 56-45 after three quarters.

In the fourth period, the Tigers came out strong and cut the Golden Gophers' lead to five points at 56-51 with 8:28 left. Creighton converted a three-point play, and Morris hit a jumper to pace the Memphis run.

The Tigers remained within striking distance and only trailed 62-55 with 5:38 left. Memphis, though, came up empty on its next four possessions after holding the Golden Gophers scoreless and did not get any closer. Minnesota sealed the game at the free throw line for the 70-60 final.

The first half started like several in the early season for Memphis, with the opponent gaining early momentum. Fuqua-Bey scored the first points of the contest, but the Golden Gophers responded with a 9-2 run to take a 9-4 lead. Banham, who was honored in pregame ceremonies as Minnesota's all-time leading scorer, netted five points (layup, three-pointer) in the early spurt.

The Tigers, though, responded quickly and closed the first period on a 13-5 run to grab a 17-14 advantage heading into the second quarter. Two Hearn three-pointers ignited the Memphis spurt, and Morris' three-pointer before the first quarter buzzer gave the Tigers the lead.

Memphis carried that momentum over into the second period. The Tigers held a narrow lead until midway through the quarter when a Wagner layup put the home team ahead, 29-27 with 5:18 left. From there, Memphis closed the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 37-29 advantage into half. A Breigha Wilder-Cochran three-point play came early in the run, and Taylor Williams capped the spurt with a three-pointer.

The Tigers shot 35.8 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. Minnesota hit 39.7 percent from the floor and 69.2 percent from the foul line. Memphis won the rebounding battle by a narrow 47-46 edge.