Tigers Women's Basketball Hosts George Washington Sunday

Sunday, December 6

Memphis, Tenn.

1 pm CT

University of Memphis

George Washington

Tickets

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Women's Basketball Hosts George Washington Sunday

Dec 05, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Game time is 1 p.m. (CT) at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After suffering its first home loss of the season Dec. 2, the University of Memphis women's basketball squad looks to bounce back Sunday, Dec. 6 when its hosts George Washington at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Game time is 1 p.m. (CT).

Sunday's encounter is George Washington's first visit to the Bluff City, as the two programs played for the first time last season in Washington, D.C. The Colonials defeated the Tigers 63-44.

On Sunday, it will be a match-up of which team's experience counts the most. The Tigers return five starters and over 95 percent of their scoring from a year ago. On the other side, George Washington has four starters and over 90 percent of scoring from last season's NCAA Tournament squad.

It's a game that provides both a challenge and an opportunity for the Tigers.

"George Washington is a quality program," said Tigers head coach Melissa McFerrin. "There's great tradition in that program. They are a top-25 team and will probably be in the NCAA Sweet 16 next March.

"We went to their place a year ago and did not play well. (GW forward) Jonquel Jones is probably a top-10 pick in next spring's WNBA Draft. She long, athletic, and she can score in a lot of different ways. It is a big game for us, but also a big opportunity."

Radio: 91.7 FM (WUMR)
Internet Video: www.gotigersgo.com/watch
Live Stats: memphis.statbroadcast.com
LiveTweet: @MemphisWBKB, #MEMWBKB, #GoTigersGo

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
• Sunday's game closes a three-game homestand for the Tigers, the longest of the 2015-16 season. Memphis started the three-game homestand Nov. 29 with a thrilling 61-58 victory over Southern Illinois. The Tigers then dropped a narrow 63-57 decision to Saint Louis Dec. 2.
• George Washington is the first team Memphis faces in 2015-16 that appears in the national polls. The Colonials are in the Also Receiving Votes of both national polls (#27 in Associated Press; #29 in USA Today/Coaches). George Washington began the season ranked No. 21 in both polls.
• George Washington holds a 1-0 series lead. The two teams met for the first time last season in Washington, D.C. The Colonials posted a 63-44 win over the Tigers Dec. 15, 2014.
• A Washington, D.C., reunion is happening Sunday. George Washington is located in Washington, D.C., and Tigers head coach Melissa McFerrin spent seven seasons of her coaching career in the nation's capital. Her first three years (1999-2001) was as an assistant coach and general manager of the WNBA's Washington Mystics. From 2005-08, McFerrin was American University's head coach.
• Sunday's game has more of an international flair than just the players on the Tigers roster. Five international players appear on the two rosters combined. Memphis has three international players in Cheyenne Creighton (Canada), Loysha Morris (Canada) and Milena Bajic (Montenegro). The Colonials have two international players in Camila Tapias (Colombia) and Jonquel Jones (The Bahamas).

Scouting George Washington
George Washington brings a 5-3 record into Sunday's game and has lost two straight to Wright State and Florida Gulf Coast. The Colonials defeated fellow American Athletic Conference member Houston 82-78 Nov. 26. Senior Jonquel Jones, a 2015-16 preseason All-America pick, leads the Colonials in both scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (15.8 rpg). She also has a team-high 21 blocks. Kelli Prange, a 6-foot-5 forward, is the team's top three-point threat (38.5 percent). George Washington is dominating its opponents on the glass with a +15.8 rebound margin (50.8-35.0). Head coach Jonathan Tsipis, a 1996 North Carolina graduate, is in his fourth season at George Washington.