Memphis women’s basketball falls to Tulane

Saturday, January 2

New Orleans, LA

5 PM

University of Memphis

2-6,0-3AAC

Tulane

5-3,1-2AAC

Memphis

Tulane

Jan 02, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Memphis forward Lanetta Williams was the leading scorer for the Tigers in its 80-44 loss to Tulane Saturday at the Devlin Fieldhouse. The Tigers are now 2-6 overall and 0-3 in the American Athletic Conference.

The Green Wave raced out to a 16-9 lead at the conclusion for the first quarter and continued to perform well throughout the game. In the third quarter, Tulane went out on a run and shot 63 percent from the field. With two minutes left on the clock in the final quarter, the Green Wave had a 40-point lead over the Tigers. A layup and two made free-throws by senior Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu in the final moments of regulation helped Memphis close the scoring margin, but it was not enough to secure a win.

The Tigers' defense was no match for the Green Wave as Memphis totaled 22 turnovers compared to Tulane's 13. Tulane shot 53.8 percent from the field and 35.3 percent beyond the arc.

"This game was definitely frustrating, but as a team we just need to come together and figure out the little things that will make a big difference in the long run," said sophomore Lanetta Williams. "It was the small things that really messed us up, so we just need to watch film and pay attention to the details so that we know how to adjust."

Williams' 14 points made her the Tigers' only double-digit scorer of the night. This marks her second double-digit game this season and fourth of her career.

"My teammates work really hard to make sure that I'm open. They do a lot of pass fakes and pump fakes to get things moving and put me in a good position," said Williams. "They do all of the hard parts; I just have to make the shots."

Two Tigers, senior KeKe Hunter and freshman En'dya Buford, made their season-debut in New Orleans. Last season Hunter finished the regular season with 20 blocks including four games with multiple blocks. She was consistently the team's leader in deflections and was one of two players with at least 20 blocks and 20 steals. In conference play, she recorded a team-high 11 blocks.

"It felt good to be back with my team, but we have to get back to ourselves," said Hunter. "While I was sitting out, I noticed that we needed to work on running the floor and rebounding and those are both areas where I feel I will be able to contribute in the coming weeks."

Memphis will resume conference play on Saturday, Jan. 9 visiting Tulsa at the Reynolds Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPN+.