Tigers Women's Basketball Rally Falls Short Wednesday

Wednesday, December 2

Memphis, Tenn.

7 pm CT

University of Memphis

4-3

Saint Louis

7-0

Saint Louis

Memphis

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Women's Basketball Rally Falls Short Wednesday

Dec 02, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Fuqua-Bey records double-double, career-high rebounds in the 63-57 setback.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis head coach Melissa McFerrin warned her Tigers that not playing a 40-minute game would catch up with them. It did Wednesday night in a 63-57 loss to Saint Louis at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

The loss drops Memphis to 4-3 on the season. Saint Louis remains unbeaten at 7-0, tying the program's best start to a campaign. The Billikens also had 7-0 starts in 1979-80 and 1980-81.

In the loss, senior Asianna Fuqua-Bey had a career game. She posted her fifth career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Ariel Hearn scored a team-high 17 points, and Loysha Morris added a season-high 11 points.

Fuqua-Bey's 14 rebounds were a career high. Her previous career best was 13 boards against Minnesota last season.

Saint Louis' Jackie Kemph led all scorers with 22 points and recorded a double-double with 12 assists. Her 22 points were a career best. Jenny Vliet (16 points) and Jamesia Price (12) also netted double-figures for the Billikens.

After trailing only 27-24 at half, the Tigers fell further behind in the third period and faced a 50-33 deficit entering the final period. Kemph extended the Saint Louis lead to 19 points, hitting the first basket of the fourth quarter to give the Billikens a 52-33 advantage with 9:24 on the clock.

That's when the Tigers picked up the pace.

Memphis' first run was a 10-0 spurt to cut the Saint Louis lead to 52-43 with 6:09 left. Morris scored four points in the run, and the spurt was capped when Hearn hit a layup. After a Sadie Stipanovich layup pushed the lead back to 11 points at 54-43, the Tigers continued to chip away at the Saint Louis lead.

Memphis sliced the Billikens' advantage to six at 56-50 on two Fuqua-Bey free throws with 2:06 remaining. Twice in the final 20 seconds, Hearn brought the Tigers to within five (two free throws) and then four points (layup). Kemph, though, sealed the game with two free throws with :09 left.

The third period is what did in the Tigers. Saint Louis outscored Memphis 23-9 in the third quarter. The Billikens expanded their lead on 53.3 percent shooting from the field (8-of-15) and 62.5 percent from the arc (5-of-8) in the quarter.

In the first half, the contest was close with the largest lead six points by Saint Louis late in the second quarter. The first half produced five ties and three lead changes.

The loss was the Tigers' first at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse this season. Memphis now is 4-1 at home. In their previous four home games, the Tigers had slow starts, but managed to regroup for the wins.

Memphis shot 34.4 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the charity stripe. Saint Louis hit 38.6 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the arc (10-of-26). The Billikens' 10 triples were a season best. Prior to Wednesday's game, Saint Louis was shooting 25 percent from the arc.

The Tigers out-rebounded Saint Louis 39-37. The Billikens entered the game with a +5.5 rebound margin against their foes.

Memphis wraps up its three-game homestand Sunday, Dec. 6 when it hosts nationally-ranked George Washington at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Game time is 1 p.m. (CT).