University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
3-4
Austin Peay
1-6
@MemphisWBKB Back in Win Column, 65-60
Dec 02, 2014 | Women's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis trailed 30-28 at halftime, but the Tigers (3-4) used a 13-0 run to open the second half and held off Austin Peay (1-6) for a 65-60 victory at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
Ariel Hearn and Mooriah Rowser each posted 15 points to lead a Tigers offense that shot 41 percent (26-63) from the field. Rowser tied a career-high with two treys in the game. Austin Peay guard Tiasha Gray led all scorers with 19 points in the game.
"We needed that one," Head Coach Melissa McFerrin said. "It didn't make any difference tonight who it was, we needed a win to feel good about ourselves again. We felt good after the Illinois game, even though it was a loss, and we even felt good after the Minnesota game, but that Southern Illinois game got us and then we had to try to get ready for UALR, we just needed a win tonight. Not to take anything away from Austin Peay though, they have three really nice players and when we got a little selfish in the second half after the 11-0 run, their point guard did a nice job of getting out in transition and all of a sudden making it a five point game again."
Early foul trouble hurt the Tigers as starters Asia Fuqua-Bey and Taylor Williams each had two fouls within the first four minutes of the game. The Lady Govs were in the bonus with 10:29 remaining in the first half. Austin Peay held the 30-28 advantage at the half with the benefit of nine of their 30 points from the charity stripe in the first half. Memphis was 0-for-2 at the line in the first half, but shot 7-for-12 in the second half.
The two teams traded the lead five times in the first half with Austin Peay leading by as many as six and the Tigers largest lead being two. Memphis closed the first half on a 6-2 run to erase the Lady Govs six-point advantage late in the half off a pair of buckets from Brianna Wright. At the end of the opening half, five Tigers were on the bench with a pair of fouls.
After the halftime break, Memphis went on a 13-0 run to grab a 41-30 lead. Freshman guard Amber Holmes had four points off the bench out of halftime to help the Tigers during the 13-0 run. The UofM took control of the boards in the second half, out-rebounding the Govs 24-13 with nine of the Tigers 24 boards coming on the offensive glass.
Wright led all players with 13 rebounds, her third double-digit rebounding night in seven games this season while Breigha Wilder-Cochran led all players with five steals.
"We had some players fight through some stuff tonight," McFerrin said. "(Wilder-Cochran) is still dealing with her ankle, (Hearn) still isn't feeling up to full energy yet, but we got great contributions from the bench. Brea Elmore gave us some really solid minutes tonight."
Elmore finished with eight points, three assists and a rebound in 20 minutes off the bench for Memphis. She saw extensive time with Hearn out with foul trouble in the first half, and earned some second half minutes with her solid play in the opening stanza.
Memphis closes out its three-game homestand, Saturday, when Central Michigan comes to town. CMU won 20 games last season and features a player ESPNw.com called the No. 19 ranked women's player in the country - Crystal Bradford. That game tips at 2 p.m., Saturday. Any fan age 12 and under that brings a test, quiz or paper with an A on it will receive a free ticket for the afternoon contest. That will be Memphis' final home game before final exams wrap up the semester.
