Tigers Fall Short At No. 22/23 USF Tuesday

Tuesday, January 17

Tampa, Fla.

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

8-10, 1-4AAC

No. 23 USF

15-2, 4-1AAC

Memphis

USF

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Jan 17, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Creighton, Elmore, and Williams score in double-figures for the Tigers

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Memphis women's basketball team fell Tuesday evening to the No. 22/23 USF Bulls by a score of 79-49 in Tampa, Fla. Memphis drops to 8-10 overall and 1-4 in the American Athletic Conference.

How It Happened
The game opened up by the two teams exchanging baskets for the first couple of possessions. USF, however, went on an 8-0 run to take a 12-4 lead over the visiting Tigers.

Memphis rallied to start the second quarter with a 7-2 run in the first three minutes, cutting the USF lead down to four. Both teams suffered cold shooting later in the quarter and Memphis went into the intermission down seven to USF.

Out of the half, USF opened with a quick 9-0 run to go up 16 over Memphis. Taylor Williams answered by hitting back-to-back threes for a run of her own to cut the USF back down to 11 with six minutes to play in the third. The Bulls finished the third quarter with 27 points scored against the Tigers, building its lead to over 20.

The Bulls ultimately outscored Memphis 50-27 in the second half to all but put the game out of reach for Memphis.

Turning Point
USF opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run, putting the Bulls up double-digits against the Tigers. Back-to-back threes by Taylor Williams in the third produced a run, but Memphis was unable to overcome the double-digit deficit. USF ended up outscoring the Tigers 50-27 in the second half.

Notables

Taylor Barnes finished with a career-high seven rebounds for the Tigers.
Brea Elmore extended her streak with a made three-pointer to 10 games in a row. She finished the night going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and in the last 10 games, is shooting 40 percent from three.
Taylor Williams scored in double-digits for the 10^th time this season.
Defensively, the Tigers held the conference's leading scorer, Kitija Laksa, to 10 points. Laksa entered the game against Memphis averaging over 20 points per game.
Cheyenne Creighton finished with a team-high 13 points along side Williams. Creighton and Barnes led the team with seven rebounds apiece.
Memphis finished with a season-high five blocks. Breigha Wilder-Cochran and Brea Elmore each had two for the Tigers.

Next Up For The Tigers
Memphis remains on the road this weekend with a Jan. 21 contest against Temple. Tip-off against the Owls is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on ESPN3. For more information on the Memphis women's basketball team, follow the Tigers on Twitter at @MemphisWBB or go online to www.gotigersgo.com.