Tigers unable to pull upset, fall to Cincinnati in AAC Tournament

Monday, March 8

Dickies Arena / Fort Worth, Texas

4:30 PM

University of Memphis

4-15,2-11AAC

Cincinnati

8-15,6-12AAC

Memphis

Cincinnati

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Tigers unable to pull upset, fall to Cincinnati in AAC Tournament

Mar 08, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas – Despite a late rally by the University of Memphis women's basketball team, its streak of pulling off first-round upsets in the league tournament ended on Monday. The No. 10 seed Tigers bowed out of the 2021 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship in opening-round action against No. 7 seed Cincinnati on Monday, 78-67, ending the season for the Blue and Gray.

Senior forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu earned her 10^th double-double of the season in defeat, leading the Tigers (4-15, 2-11 AAC) with 20 points and 12 rebounds. AAC Player Of The Year award winner IImar'I Thomas powered Cincinnati (8-15, 6-12 AAC) with a 30-point, 12-rebound effort.

How It Happened
Memphis opened the game with energy and precision, hitting eight of their 17 attempts in the first quarter while collecting five assists. The Tigers outrebounded Cincinnati 16-6 in the period, scoring a 19-13 lead after ten minutes of action as six different Memphis players sank shots. Cincinnati stayed competitive by succeeding at the three-point line, hitting three treys in the first quarter.

Cincinnati guard Milan Schimmel helped the Bearcats turn the tide in the second quarter, knocking down two three-pointers in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the period to draw the No. 7 seed even with Memphis at 23-23. Cincinnati outscored the Tigers 14-5 over the next six minutes, building their lead as high as nine points. A Keke Hunter layup near the end of the half cut the margin to seven points at the break, 37-30, with Memphis getting outscored in the second quarter 24-11. Thomas led all scorers at the break with 10 points; Mendiadeu led the Tigers with eight points, and all seven of the Tigers who saw action in the first half converted at least one field goal.

The tug-of-war in the paint continued in the third quarter, as Mendjiadeu and Thomas each posted eight points in the quarter for their respective sides. Cincinnati used the free throw line as well, making six of seven attempts at the stripe while Memphis managed to earn only one trip themselves. The No. 7 seed led by as many as 15 before an Aerial Wilson jumper closed the margin to 13 entering the final period.

Mendjiadeu opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a pair of free throws, and Schimmel responded with her third triple of the night, marking a season-best effort for the Cincinnati guard. With Cincinnati ahead by 14, Memphis began gnawing on the deficit, forcing the Bearcats into a missed shot or turnover on seven of their next eight possesions. Meanwhile, the Tigers used a layup from Hunter, a jumper from Wilson, and a timely three-pointer from Coriah Beck to narrow the lead to single digits, trailing 65-56 with five minutes remaining. Thomas went to back to work, converting layups on consecutive possessions to push the Cincinnati edge back to 13 points with 3:43 remaining.

The No. 10 seed Tigers made their last stand over the next two-and-half minutes, forcing four more Cincinnati turnovers while getting a free throw from Hunter, a layup by Jatyjia Jones, and a pair of buckets from Beck to pull within six points, trailing 69-63 with less than ninety seconds to play. But the Bearcats held on, making nine of their 12 free throw attempts in the game's final minute, bouncing the Tigers from the conference tournament for the third year in a row.

Notes from Monday's Game
>>Memphis won the rebounding battle by a 45-37 margin, gaining the edge on the boards for the fifth straight game and the 14^th time this year. The Blue and Gray poured in 21 points from their 20 offensive rebounds, a season-high mark in second-chance scoring.

>>The Tigers' 17 turnovers were their fewest since Dec. 19 against Alabama (11), but Cincinnati still made the mistakes hurt, scoring 21 points off Memphis giveaways.

>>Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu posted her eighth career game of at least 20 points; it was the sixth time she had reached the 20-point threshold this year.

>>Coriah Beck scored in double figures for the third time in her career, finishing 5-for-9 from the floor with 11 points.

>>Five different Tigers registered multiple assists, led by Aerial Wilson with eight. All seven Tigers who played collected at least three rebounds and scored at least four points.

>>The Tigers' loss to Cincinnati puts the all-time series at 35-24 in favor of Memphis, but the Bearcats have now won nine of the last 10 meetings. Memphis has not reached the 70-point threshold against the Bearcats since January 28, 2000, a span of 22 meetings.

>>The Tigers are now 3-8 all-time in American Athletic Conference Tournament play. Memphis had previously upset higher-seeded teams in the first round of both the 2020 and 2019 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championships before falling on Monday night.

Go Tigers Go!
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