Tigers return home for Friday night game against Mississippi Valley State

Friday, December 20

Memphis, Tenn.

5:30 PM

University of Memphis

Mississippi Valley State

Tickets

Photo by: Brandon Dill

Tigers return home for Friday night game against Mississippi Valley State

Dec 19, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Friday's game is the annual Teddy Bear Toss

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Riding a three-game winning streak, the University of Memphis women's basketball team returns to the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Friday evening for a 5:30 p.m. contest against Mississippi Valley State.

Friday's game is the annual Teddy Bear Toss, where fans who bring an unwrapped, new Teddy Bear for the Laurelwood Teddy Bear Toss will be entered in a raffle for a Laurelwood gift card.

Game Details
Memphis (7-4) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-8)
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m. CT
Location: Memphis, Tenn. (Elma Roane Fieldhouse)
Live Stats | Watch | Listen

Memphis is coming off of a 68-50 victory at Little Rock Tuesday night. The win marked the first win against the Trojans since 2011. The victory moved Memphis' overall record to 7-4, which is the best start for the women's program since the 2011-12 team started 9-2 through 11 games.

Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu continued to lead Memphis against the Trojans, posting her fourth career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Gazmyne Herndon posted a season-high 15 points for the Tigers while Jamirah Shutes added 12 points for her 10^th double-digit performance of the season.

Through 11 games, the Tigers rank in the top three in the American Athletic Conference in several categories:

2^nd - Field goal percentage (.418)
2^nd – Three-point field goal defense (.277)
2^nd – Blocked shots (4.5 bpg)
3^rd - Scoring (69.1 ppg)

Shutes continues to lead the team with 16.4 points per game. She currently is the fifth in the AAC in that category. Fankam Mendjiadeu and Keke Hunter rank ninth and 10^th, respectively, in rebounding at 7.6 and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Memphis has two non-conference games remaining on the schedule before opening up conference play at Houston on Jan. 5. The Tigers welcome Alabama A&M after the holiday break on Dec. 30 for a 5:30 p.m. tip at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

A Look at Mississippi Valley State
Mississippi Valley State enters Friday's game with a 1-8 overall record and setbacks in the last two contests to Wyoming and Colorado State. The lone victory of the season for the Devilettes was at home against Florida A&M by a score of 71-70.

The Devilettes are averaging 61.1 points per game while allowing 80.2 points per contest. Two players are averaging in double digits, led by Ayonna Cotton's 13.3 points per game. She, along with Shelli Thigpen and Erin Smith, have started in every game this season. Diamond Wraggs is the team's leading rebounder at 6.4 boards per contest while three players have recorded double-digit steals this season.

Mississippi Valley State is under the direction of Ashley Walker-Johnson who is currently in her third season at the helm.

Final Details
Tipoff against the Devilettes is slated for 5:30 p.m. at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Friday evening. Fans who bring a Teddy Bear for the Laurelwood Teddy Bear Toss will be entered in a raffle to win a Laurelwood gift card. For more information on the Memphis women's basketball team, follow the Tigers on social media at @MemphisWBB.