Tigers undone by hot-shooting Pirates

Saturday, February 27

Greenville, NC

12 PM

University of Memphis

4-12,2-9AAC

ECU

8-12,6-9AAC

Memphis

East Carolina

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Feb 27, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – No lead is safe from a hot-shooting offense, and the Memphis Tigers found that out the hard way on Saturday, falling 81-62 to East Carolina at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates shot 67% after halftime, using a dominant third quarter to rally past the Tigers and sweep the season series.

Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu led the Tigers (4-12, 2-9 AAC) with 12 points, joined in double figures by Madison Griggs (11) and Jatyjia Jones (10). ECU's Maddie Moore led all scorers with 18 points, one of four players for East Carolina (8-12, 6-9 AAC) to finish in double figures.

How It Happened
Memphis punched first on Saturday, scoring 10 of the game's first 12 points for an early 10-2 lead. A Griggs steal and Mendjiadeu hook shot put the Tigers on the board first, and Griggs' next touch, a defensive rebound, led to an Alana Davis bucket at the other end for a 4-0 lead. Over the next three minutes, Griggs continued to dominate, hitting three triples while mixing in a steal to give the Tigers a 13-6 edge with under six minutes to play in the quarter. Jamirah Shutes followed with her own trey, and another Davis layup put Memphis ahead 18-6 with four minutes to go in the first period.

ECU regrouped and returned fire, finishing the quarter on a 12-4 run to draw within 22-18 after the first 10 minutes of action. Layups by Mendjiadeu and Jones widened the lead to 26-18 at the 7:43 mark of the second quarter, but things tightened up from there, as the Pirates closed within 32-31 by halftime. Griggs led the Tigers at the break with 11, and ECU's Sierra DaCosta matched Griggs with a trio of threes, finishing the half with nine points. Memphis shot 42% in the first half, while East Carolina shot just 29% through the first two quarters, relying on 11 second-chance points from 12 offensive rebounds to stay in range.

Memphis inched out to a 38-33 advantage early in the third quarter, but the Pirates kept on coming. ECU closed the period on a 21-6 run and never cooled off, gaining a 71-45 lead by the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter. ECU shot 67% (20-of-30) over the final 20 minutes, holding the Tigers to 38% shooting (12-of-32) while forcing 11 turnovers after the break.

Notes from Saturday's Game
*SCORING: Madison Griggs and Jatyjia Jones have each scored in double figures on five occasions this season, including Saturday. Neither had scored in double figures since Jan. 9 against Tulsa. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu added her 12^th double-figure scoring game of the year and 31^st of her career on Saturday.

*ASSISTS: Memphis posted a season-high 20 assists on their 25 field goals in the loss, led by four each from Jatyjia 'Tye' Jones and Alana Davis. The Tigers' last game with 20 assists was a Dec. 14, 2019 win against Arkansas State.

*SERIES: Memphis remains winless in Greenville, N.C. since 2016, dropping its last four at Minges Coliseum. The Tigers have also lost five straight to ECU overall, allowing the Pirates to pull ahead in the all-time series, 18-17.

Up Next
The Tigers will be on the road for their final two games of the regular season, visiting the Temple Owls in Philadelphia for a pair of matchups over a three-day span. The first meeting tips off on Tuesday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m. CT, and you can see it on ESPN+ and hear it on the Memphis Tiger Network.

Go Tigers Go!
Keep tabs on the Tigers on social media at Facebook.com/MemphisWBB, follow @MemphisWBB on Twitter and Instagram, or download the official Memphis Tigers app to your smartphone or tablet.