Tulane spoils Senior Night for Tigers

Tuesday, February 23

Memphis, Tenn.

6:30 PM

University of Memphis

4-11,2-8AAC

Tulane

15-7,11-6AAC

Tulane

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Feb 23, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The first win for interim head coach Michele Savage in Memphis colors will have to wait. Facing Lisa Stockton and Tulane -- where Savage coached for a decade as an assistant under Stockton -- the Tiger attack was not enough on Tuesday night, as Memphis dropped its regular season home finale, 72-52.

Freshman guard Coriah Beck led the Tigers (4-11, 2-8 AAC) with 15 points, her second time leading the team in scoring this season. Freshman guard Jerkaila Jordan led Tulane with a game-high 29 points. Memphis has dropped four in a row and has only two wins in its last seven meetings with the Green Wave (15-7, 11-6 AAC).

How It Happened
A back-and-forth first quarter saw both teams struggle to get going offensively against stingy zone defenses. A triple from Beck put the Tigers ahead 14-13 with 1:33 remaining in the period, but Tulane finished the quarter on a 6-0 run, taking a 19-14 lead with the help of two offensive rebounds and a fast-break layup in the closing seconds.

Tulane added five quick points in the first 40 seconds of the second quarter, stretching its lead to 24-14 before the Tigers could recover. Heavy doses of Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu helped the Tigers close the gap, as the senior forward used a jumper in the lane, a transition layup, and a pair of free throws to help Memphis claw back within three at 28-25. The Green Wave took it from there, making four of their next five shots from the floor to create a 37-25 halftime edge.

Jordan, the Tulane freshman, sank three of those four field goals to close the half with 17 points. Mendjiadeu led the Tigers at the break with eight points after Tulane's zone defense kept the Tigers from clearing 30% shooting (10-of-39, 26%) in the first half.

Despite Beck's ten-point effort in the second half, Memphis could never whittle the Tulane lead down to single digits. The Green Wave led by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter, forcing 13 turnovers after halftime to keep the Tigers at bay. While the Memphis bench chipped in with 30 points, the home side could not overcome a 32-12 disparity in fast-break scoring and a 26-5 margin in points scored off turnovers.

Notes from Tuesday's Game
*Seniors Mendjiadeu, Alana Davis, and Keke Hunter were honored before the game with a highlight video. They've combined for 1,800 points and 1,220 rebounds in their careers, including tonight's efforts. Hunter scored her first points of the season on Senior Night, finishing with a half-dozen. Mendjiadeu fell short of a double-double (8 points, 9 rebounds) while contributing 3 blocks and 6 steals on defense. Davis (7 points, 6 rebounds) has now shot 50% or better from the floor in seven straight games after finishing 3-of-6 on Tuesday.

*Beck's 15-point effort was the second double-figure scoring game of her career. She finished 2-of-3 at the free-throw line, dropping her season-long free throw shooting mark to 30-of-39 (.769). The freshman free-throw shooting record is .793, set in 1998-99 by Lauren Jackson.

*Michele Savage is the second woman named Savage to assume a head coaching role at the Division I level, and both have now worked at Memphis. Blair Savage coached the Tigers from 2004 through 2008. The two are not related.

*Tulane's victory gave head coach Lisa Stockton her 600^th career win (600-325), making her the 19^th active head coach in Division I women's basketball with at least 600 wins.

Up Next
Memphis gets a few days to regroup before a rematch with East Carolina (7-11, 5-8 AAC), scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT tip-off in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday, Feb. 27. Fans can watch on ESPN+ or listen to the audio stream on the Memphis Tiger Network (GoTigersGo.com/Listen). For more information on the Memphis women's basketball team, follow the Tigers on social media at @MemphisWBB.