Tigers Drop AAC Opener At No. 1 UConn

Sunday, December 31

Hartford, Conn.

12:30 PM

University of Memphis

5-9, 0-1AAC

#1 UConn

11-0, 1-0AAC

Memphis

UConn

Photo by: UConn Athletics

Dec 31, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Brea Elmore led the Tigers with 20 points in 40 minutes played

HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Memphis women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought contest Sunday afternoon to No. 1 UConn by a score of 97-48 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The Tigers fall to 5-9 on the year and 0-1 in American Athletic Conference play with a home contest against ECU coming up next Saturday.

How It Happened
After UConn scored the first four points of the contest, Memphis went on a 9-8 run capped with a Taylor Barnes three-pointer with 4:21 left in the first quarter. UConn responded with a 13-1 run of its own before Brea Elmore knocked down her first three of the contest.

UConn continued to build its lead as the time counted down in the first half. Elmore's play was an offensive highlight for the Tigers as she hit a pair of three-pointers and led all players on the floor with 15 first half points.

Memphis opened the second half on a 4-0 run behind baskets from Barnes and Brianna Porter. The Tiger defense held UConn's offense scoreless for over two and a half minutes to begin the second half. UConn, however, had another answer for the Tigers. Back-to-back three's with less than four minutes left in the third built the UConn lead up to 67-36.

The Tigers continued to battle throughout the remainder of the game. In the fourth quarter, Elmore knocked down her third three-pointer to get her to the 20-point mark.

Turning Point
The high-paced offense of the No. 1 team in the nation jumped out quickly and took a 29-15 lead through the first 10 minutes of action. The Huskies then continued to build on their lead for the remainder of the game behind a shooting effort of 61.1 percent from the floor.

Notables

Brea Elmore finished with 20 points after scoring 15 points in the first half. Elmore knocked down three three-pointers for Memphis and finished the first half shooting 6-for-8 from the floor.
Elmore now has nine 20-plus performances in her career including five this season.
Taylor Barnes recorded nine first half points for the Tigers and finished with 13 for her fifth double-digit performance this year.
Cheyenne Creighton finished with eight points to come within 48 points of the 1,000-point milestone.
Memphis finished the game going 11-for-13 from the free throw line and only allowed UConn four total trips to the charity stripe.
Memphis' 49 points matches the most the Tigers have scored against the Huskies. The Tigers scored 49 points in the first two meetings all-time.

Melissa McFerrin Quotable
Every mistake you make, they make you pay double. We did have a good third quarter. The Huskies are a good team. We can see that, we all know that and we move on from here.

Next Up For The Tigers
Memphis returns home next Saturday for a 12 p.m. contest against ECU. The game can be heard on 91.7 FM WUMR and fans can watch live at www.gotigersgo.com/watch. For more information on the Memphis women's basketball team, follow the Tigers on Twitter at @MemphisWBB.