Tigers Women's Basketball Defeats Houston Monday

Monday, February 29

Houston, Texas

7 pm CT

University of Memphis

18-11 (12-6)

Houston

6-23 (2-16)

Memphis

Houston

Photo by: Brandon Dill

Feb 29, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Memphis wraps up No. 4 spot in conference tournament.

HOUSTON, Texas – So much for those preseason polls. The 2015-16 Tigers just proved them wrong.

Picked to finish seventh in the conference preseason poll, Memphis defied that and clinched the No. 4 spot in the league's regular-season standings Monday night with a 77-64 American Athletic Conference victory over Houston.

With the win, Memphis closed the regular season with an 18-11 overall record and a 12-6 league mark. The Tigers secures the No. 4 seed in this weekend's American Athletic Conference Tournament and faces No. 5 seed Tulane. The No. 4-No. 5 seed quarterfinal game is set for Saturday, Mar. 5 at 11 a.m. (CT).

"We're fired up for this weekend and the conference tournament," said Tigers head coach Melissa McFerrin. "We feel good about ourselves, but not over-confident. Our players are still focused, still listening and still invested in this team and this season. We will face a very good Tulane team."

The Tigers' 18 overall wins and 12 league victories are the most since the 2011-12 team had 25 overall wins and 13 conference victories. Memphis has a 9-2 league record since Jan. 19, which is the second-best mark in The American only behind No. 1 Connecticut's 12-0 record over that span of time.

Although it was the Cougars' Senior Night, Asianna Fuqua-Bey celebrated her final regular-season game in a Tigers uniform with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Fuqua-Bey's 22 points were a career high, and the double-double was the ninth of her career. Mooriah Rowser finished with 12 points, six boards and four assists, and Ariel Hearn added 10 points. Milena Bajic scored a season-best 11 points.

Serethia Hawkins led Houston with 14 points and seven rebounds. Marche' Anderson added 13 points and four boards. Mariah Mitchell scored 10 points.

"Our bench did a tremendous job tonight," McFerrin said. "Milena and Brianna (Porter) were good for us, and Cheyenne was good too.

"I was a little upset with our starters because we talked about foul trouble before the game. I thought our entire bench was really, really good tonight. Our three post players off the bench did a good job tonight, and they have a bright future."

The first half for the Tigers featured their bench as the starters picked up early fouls. Fuqua-Bey, Hearn and Wright all were whistled for fouls in the game's opening four minutes, and forced the Tigers bench into action. And, it responded.

Bajic, Porter, Ceighton and Brea Elmore combined for 14 of Memphis' 19 first-quarter points. Bajic's six points came on two huge three-pointers, with her second coming at the first-period buzzer for a 19-13 Tigers' advantage.

The starters returned for most of the second quarter and carried Memphis in the period. After sitting with foul trouble most of the first period, Hearn (five points) and Fuqua-Bey (four) combined for nine points in the quarter. Rowser, who played most of the first period, scored three points before gaining five minutes of rest in the second quarter.

Memphis began the second period with a 7-2 run to take a 26-15 lead. Rowser, Hearn and Fuqua-Bey each netted baskets in the spurt. The Cougars, though, answered with an 11-7 spurt to close the period. Hawkins (three points) and Mitchell (four) paced the Houston run. Memphis led 33-26 at half.

After half, Houston tried every way to mount a comeback, but each time, the Tigers had an answer. Memphis held a 13-point lead at 46-33 with 4:01 left, but the Cougars immediately cut Memphis' advantage back to single digits on two Mitchell three-pointers. Mitchell's two treys pulled Houston to within seven at 46-39 with 2:54 on the clock.

Memphis continued to hold its seven-point lead at 48-41 and used an 8-2 run over the next 1:30 to increased its advantage to 56-43 with :45 left. Loysha Morris and Hearn hit consecutive three-pointers, and Hearn added another jumper in the spurt. The Tigers led 58-45 heading into the final period.

The final period was all Fuqua-Bey for the Tigers. She scored 10 of her 22 points and grabbed five of her 11 boards in the fourth quarter. Memphis maintained its double-digit lead throughout the period on its way to the 77-64 final.

Memphis shot 50.9 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from the arc (7-15) and 93.3 percent from the charity stripe (14-15). Houston hit 42.3 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from the arc.

The Tigers edged the Cougars on the glass 31-30. The Memphis defense forced 18 Houston turnovers.