Memphis women’s basketball team loses a close battle against Alabama, 74-68
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Following the Memphis Tigers (2-4,0-1 American Athletic Conference) first taste of conference action, they had little rest before it was time to get back to work. On Saturday, they hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference), with hopes to bring the record back to .500.
That proved itself to be difficult with the Roll Tide’s early shooting output. By the 6:34 mark in the first quarter, they boasted a 13-4 lead over the Tigers. They had converted on 5 of their first 6 shots and were shooting 75 percent from the three-point line.
Roll Tide forward, Jasmine Walker, had four three-points in the first quarter alone. The Tigers, an already struggling shooting team, tried to put up threes of their own, but were 0/2 from long range, making it difficult for them to keep pace.
After six unsuccessful attempts, the Tigers finally converted on a three-pointer, courtesy of guard, Aerial Wilson. Even with that score though, Alabama had gotten out to a 25-14 lead as they headed to the second quarter.
While the Tigers had issues getting points, the Roll Tide were too. At the 5:17 mark of the second quarter, both teams were shooting less than 30 percent from the floor.
What changed for the Tigers’ was guard, Madison Griggs, getting her first points of the quarter. She scored five points in the period, the most of her teammates.
Still, Memphis still were facing a sizeable deficit at halftime, down 44-29. Of her team’s effort in the first half, Tigers’ head coach, Melissa McFerrin, said that she was not sure what went wrong.
“I’m not quite sure why we saw what we saw in the first half,” McFerrin said. “Our goal was that [Jasmine] Walker made no more than two threes, but she made more than that. So, we just weren’t detailed on scout and that’s disappointing.”
When the Tigers’ came back from the locker room, it was clear that they were discontent with their earlier offensive output. So, they began to get more aggressive and it worked.
Through nearly the first six minutes of the quarter, Memphis was outscoring Alabama 14-7 and had brought the score to 51-43. The first time the game was within single digits since the first quarter.
Guard, Coriah Beck, talked about what got the Tigers coming out faster in the third quarter and said that it came down to stopping the three-pointers.
“We saw that if we could not stop them from shooting threes, we weren’t going to win,” Beck said. “Before the game, Coach told us to protect the three-point line and we had not been doing that. So, in the third we started to execute that and move the ball on offense.”
They continued their improved play through the rest of the quarter. They shot a better field goal percentage (45:16.7), had less turnovers (2:4) and made more three-pointers.
The dueling program headed into the fourth quarter with Alabama leading 57-49, but their momentum had been steadily slipping.
By the 6:19 mark in the fourth quarter, Alabama’s lead continued to dissolve. By the time the timeout was called, Memphis was on a 6-0 run, and all the points came from guard, Jatyjia “Tye” Jones.
Up to that point, she had been shooting 2/3 from the field, including a three-pointer. She went on to finish the game with
15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Of her emergence in the fourth quarter, Jones said, that she was just taking advantage of what the defense was giving her.
“I realized they weren’t backside rebounding,” Jones said. “It’s hard to guard somebody who is getting offensive rebounds and put backs. That’s a big part of where my game comes from.”
By the 4:06 mark, the Tigers’ had brought the game within a point after going on a 7-0 run. The score stood at 64-63 and for the first time, the Roll Tide had their backs against the wall.
The Tigers’ did not pull any punches either and after an aggressive offensive board, layup and and-one by Jones, they found themselves leading for the first time since the first quarter.
The Roll Tide scored on their possession which made it a one-point game, 69-68, with 41.3 second left in the game. The Tigers would get the ball back with a chance to regain the lead.
They had their chance, but after a missed jump shot by guard, Aerial Wilson, Memphis found themselves in need of a strong defensive showing to get another chance to win.
After multiple fouls committed by Memphis, Alabama found themselves at the free throw line with a chance to extend their lead. They made 1/2 and took it back to a two-point game. This left Memphis 18.6 seconds left to try to make a potential game-tying or winning score. McFerrin said that her message to the team in the huddle was that it was all about executing.
“I told them that we had to read the corners,” McFerrin said. “Their defenders were coming in from the corners to pull off double teams in the post. We had a little miscommunication, but we had to get it right before those plays were over.
On the ensuing play, Jones missed a layup, and the ball was recovered by Alabama. After a quick foul, Alabama’s Walker, went to the free-throw line and knocked down both of her shots. She led the Crimson Tide with 28 points.
When Memphis got the ball back, Griggs was unable to convert on a three-point attempt, which sealed the game. Alabama would go on to hit two more free throws and seal their win, 74-68.
