University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Christian Brothers
Nov 13, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2000
MEMPHIS, TENN. - After jumping out to a comfortable 43-19 lead at the half, The University of Memphis Lady Tiger basketball team nearly doubled their first half total in the second period and grabbed a victory over cross-town rival Christian Brothers University on Monday evening, 84-48, in the final exhibition game of the season.
Both teams were shaky from the start but the Lady Tigers eventually found their groove on the defensive end and forced the Lady Buccaneers into shooting 32 percent from the field in the first half. Memphis also struggled at first but finished shooting an impressive 62 percent from the floor in the opening period. The Lady Tiger defense was the story of the game forcing 33 turnovers by CBU, including 22 in the first half which resulted in 22 first half points for Memphis.
"Once again, I think we played well in the first half," said coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "I thought our intensity level was very high. When (Tiffany) Adkins started out the ball game, I thought she really set the stage for our momentum and our intensity. I was pleased overall with the first half, but we have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball. We had 16 turnovers in the first half, which is 16 too many. We are going to have to play more than 20 minutes in the game if we are going to be successful."
Sophomore Shannon Hamp was 5-of-9 on the night for 14 points, and collected three rebounds in 19 minutes of work. Junior Malissa Bush was equally effective with 14 points, and had an assist and two steals. Senior All-America candidate Tiffany Adkins only saw limited minutes but still managed to put up 10 points on a 3-of-6 shooting effort. It was her defensive intensity that made the biggest impact for Memphis, as she grabbed four steals in the win.
Freshman guards Danielle Barnard and Princess Swilley also had impressive showings in the win. Barnard dropped in three points and a block while dishing out four assists. Swilley was all over the court with three assists and three steals and also finished with four points.
"I thought Princess was a huge plus coming off the bench," said McNelis. "She gave us the intensity we needed when we started to get flat. She tried to create and make some things happen for us, especially defensively, which in turn generated a lot of easy buckets."
The key moment may have occured at the 10:08 mark in the first half. With the score19-15 in favor of Memphis, Swilley converted a key lay-up off a fast-break opportunity which led to 12 straight points by the Lady Tigers and blew the game wide-open for Memphis. Christian Brothers only scored four more points throughout the remainder of the first half.
CBU was led by junior Jennifer Giager who put up 14 points, including a 4-for-6 effort from behind the arc. Fellow junior Stephanie Stewart followed Giager with 11 points, six assists and three steals in 26 miniutes of play.
The Lady Tigers dominated the Lady Buccaneers in virtually every catagory, outrebounding them 37-21 and also shot 78 percent from the line compared to just 33 percent for CBU.
The Lady Tigers will open the regular season on Saturday with a 1 p.m. meeting at The Pyramid with the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks.
"This game this Saturday will be quite a challenge," said McNelis. "We cannot let up any slack. We really will need to focus and do a better job of taking care of the basketball. It is going to be a great first game, and we will need a ton of Memphis fans in blue in the stands to help cheer us on."
