Memphis women’s basketball falls to Houston

Tuesday, December 22

Memphis, Tenn.

12 PM

University of Memphis

2-5,0-2AAC

Houston

4-1,1-0AAC

Houston

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Dec 22, 2020 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis guard Madison Griggs recorded a season-high 17 points in the Tigers' 75-63 loss to Houston on Tuesday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The Tigers are now 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the American Athletic Conference.

Memphis led 17-13 at the conclusion of the first quarter, but once the Cougars gained momentum there was no stopping them. A 6-0 run with less than two minutes left on the clock propelled Houston to a 10-point lead over the Tigers. In the third quarter the Cougars further expanded the scoring margin to 23 points. Despite an 11-0 run midway through the final quarter by the Tigers, Houston was able to hold on to its lead for a victory.

Although the outcome was not favorable, multiple Tigers reached personal milestones in the second AAC matchup of the season. Sophomore Aerial Wilson had a season-high 10 assists against Houston. She leads the Tigers and is second in the conference in the category.

"Assists are something that I pride myself on," said Wilson. "The way that people feel about scoring is the way that I feel about seeing my teammates get easy buckets."

Madison Griggs was one of three Tigers to score in double digits against the Cougars. She was accompanied by seniors Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu with 12 points and Alana Davis with 10. Griggs made a season-high five three-pointers against Houston and was responsible for every three-pointer that the Tigers got on the board.

"I went into today's game with a clear mind, so I was able to get my shot off more than I've been able to in the past," said Griggs.

Despite Griggs being able to find her groove against the Cougars, the Tigers struggled defensively as a team. Memphis totaled 30 turnovers, more than it has had against any opponent this season.

"I feel like we had our mind only on offense today," said head coach Melissa McFerrin. "We forced a lot of shots early and we had 30 turnovers against a team that really didn't apply as much pressure as we had planned for. We got very casual with the ball and I think we got hesitant and simply couldn't adjust."

Memphis hits the road to take on Central Florida on Wednesday, December 30 at the Addition Financial Arena. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPN+.