University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
2-8,0-0AAC
Tennessee
9-0,0-0SEC
Tigers Falter Late in 90-75 Loss to No. 18/16 Tennessee
Dec 18, 2024 | Women's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis women's basketball and the No. 18/16 Tennessee Lady Volunteers battled for 40 minutes on Wednesday night, with the visiting team holding a one-point lead after one quarter and at halftime, but a 27-13 third quarter was enough to propel the nationally ranked, undefeated Lady Vols to a 90-75 victory inside FedEx Forum.
Transfer guard DeeDee Hagemann made her debut for the Tigers (2-8), posting 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Tilly Boler had a game-high 23 points, and Tanyuel Welch – who got to play in her natural off-guard position – had 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
"We knew going into this game that we had to either give up twos or stop offensive rebounds, and we didn't do a great job at cutting down on second-chance points," said head coach Alex Simmons. "I felt like we played our game and a Memphis style of basketball, so I'm proud of our team."
The Tiger guard room got going early, with Hagemann making three early free throws, including a perfectly executed and-one. Boler added eight points behind two threes as the hosts took an early five-point advantage. Tennessee's high-octane style featured 10 players in the opening quarter, and an 8-0 run gave them a three-point lead before Raven Sims beat the buzzer with a putback to cut the lead to one.
The Lady Vols' momentum leaked into the second stanza, but Memphis countered with an 11-0 run of their own to lead, 34-27, behind five more points from the debutant Hagemann. After the Tigers took a seven-point lead – their largest of the game – halfway through the third quarter, Tennessee bunkered down and closed strongly for a second consecutive corner. A 9-2 run, capped by Jewel Spear's third three-pointer of the quarter, gave a one-point advantage to the Lady Vols, who are yet to trail at halftime this season.
After the break, Tennessee punched first to the tune of a 7-0 run in what proved to be an uphill battle for Memphis for all 10 minutes. The Lady Vols' perimeter defense, perhaps their only weakness through eight games, showed up in a big way in the quarter, holding the Tigers to six made field goals on 27% shooting and forcing six turnovers. Though less frequently than the first half, Memphis was able to generate some good looks that would not fall as the lead reached 15.
The host Tigers opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run fueled by gritty defense and transition buckets, but Samara Spencer's second three of the game took the lead back to 10. In what ended up being an even 21-21 fourth quarter, the Tigers never fell behind by more than 15 but could never cut the lead below seven, as the Lady Vols went on a 4-0 run to conclude the game at 90-75.
As Simmons mentioned in her postgame press conference, the gameplan was to limit the Lady Vols' three-point shooting, offensive rebounds and turnovers forced, stats which they lead the country in, and the Tigers were generally successful on two of three fronts. They turned the ball over 17 times to Tennessee's 16 (UT's last opponent, NC Central, turned the ball over 44 times, and five of eight prior opponents have committed 30 turnovers). They shot 32.4 percent from three, roughly their average mark, on 12 threes which is 28 less than their record-breaking game prior. Where the Lady Vols won big was on the glass, grabbing 23 offensive boards and totaling a 53-44 rebounding advantage.
Six UT players scored in double figures, led by 18 from Spear and Zee Spearman. Both Spearman (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Talaysia Cooper (12 points, 11 rebounds) recorded double-doubles.
The Tigers will be back at FedEx Forum this Saturday, Dec. 21, to host Louisville at 4:00 p.m.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
