Memphis drops close contest to Little Rock

Friday, December 21

Memphis, Tenn.

11 a.m.

University of Memphis

Little Rock

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Dec 21, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Shutes scores a career-high 25 in loss

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers dropped an absolute nail-biter to the Little Rock Trojans on Friday afternoon. The 63-60 final came down to the final possession, but the Tigers were unable to put the finishing touches on the comeback, having trailed by as much as 14 in the game.

Backed by Jamirah Shutes' career-high 25 points and double-figure scoring from Alana Davis and Taylor Barnes, the Memphis Tigers fell just short in a furious finish.

"I was really excited to see Jamirah Shutes get on track, and really be aggressive," head coach Melissa McFerrin said of Shutes' performance. "She was aggressive with her dribble, and she composed herself really well."

The Tigers and the Trojans got off to an even start through the first part of the opening quarter before Little Rock's defense clamped down. Shutes proved to be the scorer for the Tigers in the opening quarter, scoring four in the quarter. After one quarter of action, Memphis trailed the Trojans 15-9.

Entering the second quarter, Memphis fell behind more, with Little Rock's lead growing as high as 11. In the final five minutes of the quarter, however, the Tigers put up a 16-7 run that put Memphis right back into the game. Four Memphis players fought their way to the free throw line, knocking down seven freebies during the run, including a pair from Shutes to cut the halftime deficit to just two, 32-30.

Coming out of halftime, the Tigers got off to a slow start, and struggled to recover. After fighting back at the end of the first half, Memphis struggled to finish possessions and control the ball. Shutes continued to keep the Tigers alive on the offensive side of the ball, scoring five of the seven points for Memphis. After giving up a run to close the quarter, Memphis was still within striking distance, down 51-37.

Opening the final period, Memphis switched up its defense, blitzing out to a 9-2 run to trim the margin to single digits. Free throws continued to keep the Tigers in the game, and defensive intensity helped keep Little Rock scrambling to score. With a jumper in the fourth quarter, Shutes surpassed her previous career-high of 20 points. A couple more scores down the stretch left her at a career number of 25. The Trojans made timely baskets to keep the Tigers at bay to the final whistle.

"I liked our press against them. There were maybe some unforced errors on their part, but those happens all the time," McFerrin said of the second half defense. "We had a couple of chances right up until the very last possession."

Quick Notables:

Jamirah Shutes led the Tigers in scoring for the fifth time this season, netting a career-high 25 points.
Shutes' scoring total marks the fourth game of the season with a Tiger scoring 20-plus points.
Alana Davis also scored in double-figures with 15. Davis has logged double-digit scoring in eight games this season.
Taylor Barnes was the third Tiger to finish the afternoon scoring in double-figures. The junior guard finished the afternoon with 12 points.
Shutes and Jada Stinson finished with a team-high three assists.
The Tigers have made a habit of giving themselves extra possessions on the offensive glass. Memphis pulled down 15 boards on the offensive side of the ball.
Malainna 'Rudy' White led the Tigers in rebounds, snaring seven boards.
Memphis made 15 or more free throws for the fourth time this season. The Tigers hit 22 from the charity stripe against the Trojans.

The Tigers will hit the floor again on December 29th, taking on the North Carolina Central at 2:30 p.m. for the sixth and final home game for Memphis' December home stand. For more information on the Memphis women's basketball team, follow us on Twitter at @MemphisWBB.