University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Central Michigan
@MemphisWBKB Hosting MAC Preseason Favorites Central Michigan Saturday
Dec 05, 2014 | Women's Basketball
SERIES HISTORY -- First meeting
This is the first-ever meeting between Memphis and Central Michigan. The Tigers return to the trip to Mount Pleasant, Mich., next year.
More Personal History on the Schedule for McFerrin
Saturday's match-up against Central Michigan will be the second game this season against a team that used to have Melissa McFerrin as a member of the coaching staff.
McFerrin got her first full-time coaching job at Central Michigan in 1984 and coached there for six seasons, helping the Chippewas to a Mid-American Championship in 1984-85 and to a combined 95-77 record in six seasons.
The two teams were re-introduced last year in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where both teams were participating the Paradise Jam tournament. The two did not play one another, as they were in different divisions, but touched base there and scheduled a home-and-home series beginning this season.
Double Digit Rebounds for Wright
Junior post Brianna Wright finished the Austin Peay game with 13 rebounds, her fourth double-digit rebounding effort in seven games this season.
She ranks 51st in the country in the latest NCAA stats in rebounds per game, with 10.1 a contest.
There's a lot of basketball left, but if that 10.1 rebound per game average would hold up, it would rank fourth in the career rebounding average in the Memphis record book.
Fuqua-Bey Taking Advantage of Free-Throw Attempts
Junior Asia Fuqua-Bey is making the most of her trips to the free-throw line this year. She has increased her free throw percentage. She is shooting over 30% better from the stripe this year than she did last year:
Fuqua-Bey Free Throw Percentage
2012-13: 54.3 %
2013-14: 55.6 %
2014-15: 88.9 %
Rowser Working Toward 400th Point
Redshirt sophomore guard Mooriah Rowser needs just seven more points to hit 400 for her Tiger career. In 41 career games, she has scored 393 points (9.6 ppg/career average). Her 15.3 ppg average is a career-best. After scoring single digits in the loss to UALR, she was back in the double-digit scoring column in the win on Tuesday night. For the season, she has scored double-digit points in six of seven games.
Hearn Eyeing Move up Career Scoring Chart
After posting her 1,000th career point in the season opener, Ariel Hearn is now looking at improving on her career scoring spot. Currently No. 20 in career scoring with 1,118 points, she needs just 48 more points to tie Ramses Lonlack for 19th overall in career scoring heading in to the Central Michigan game.
Snapping a streak
The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak on Tuesday night with the 65-60 win over Austin Peay. That was a season-long losing streak for the Tigers. They are looking to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since the season opener and the win over Samford in the second game of the year.
Career Scoring Night for Pair of Freshmen
Getting scoring off the bench is important for the Tigers, who are 2-1 when out-scoring the opposing bench, but 1-3 when getting out-scored by the other team's bench players.
That stat got some help from a pair of Memphis freshmen in the win over Austin Peay. Freshman point guard Amber Holmes came in and helped Memphis push out to a 13-0 start to the second half to retake the lead for good against Austin Peay. Holmes finished with a career-best four points and with an assist.
Brea Elmore almost put her first career double-digit scoring night in the books, finishing with eight points and a three assists in the win over APSU. Elmore, who was 3-for-10 from the field, knocked down a pair of three-point field goals in the win, her first college triples.
Stiff Non-Conference Slate to Start Second Season Prep for American Athletic Conference Play
The Tigers are 3-4 through their first seven games. Being under .500 is not where Memphis imaged it would be heading in to the non-conference clash with Central Michigan, but Memphis has already faced four teams in the top 115 of the RealTimeRPI.com power rankings.
Tiger Losses and Current RPI
(According to RealTimeRPI.com)
Illinois (111)
Minnesota (115)
Southern Illinois (49)
UALR (55)
Memphis' highest-RPI team in the non-conference slate is still to come: Central Michigan has an RPI of 31 and visits the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, Saturday.
Memphis also has five more games left on the schedule against teams in the top 60 in RPI after Saturday's match-up with Central Michigan (31):
George Washington (56)
USF, 2 games (32)
Connecticut, 2 games (29)
Checking up on our Opponents
MISSOURI STATE (0-6): Lost to TCU at the Colorado tournament; hosts SIU Edwardsville, Saturday.
SAMFORD (4-3): Lost at Troy, 76-67; hosts UAB, Saturday.
ILLINOIS (6-2): Downed visiting Virginia, 86-63; plays at Southern Illinois, Saturday.
MINNESOTA (7-1): Downed visiting North Carolina State, 60-55; hosts Butler, Sunday.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (4-1): Downed visiting Mercer, 67-52; hosts Illinois, Saturday.
UALR (5-0): Improved to 5-0 with a 66-59 win at Memphis; hosts Tulane, Saturday.
AUSTIN PEAY (1-6): Lost at Memphis 65-60; hosts Brescia, Saturday.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-1): Defeated Oregon at the Las Vegas tournament; plays at Memphis, Saturday.
GEORGETOWN (2-6): Lost to visiting Holy Cross, 73-69; plays at Princeton, Saturday.
GEORGE WASHINGTON (5-2): Won the Junkanoo Jam Freeport Division title with a 79-59 win over Purdue; hosts Fresno State, Saturday.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (0-6): Lost at Vanderbilt, 63-37; hosts Talladega College, Saturday.
TEMPLE (3-4): Lost to visiting Delaware, 69-58; hosts Fordham, Sunday.
UCF (4-2): Came back from 12 down with 5:33 to go to pick up the 60-56 win over North Florida; plays at FIU, Saturday.
East Carolina (6-2): Lost at Cleveland State, 59-57; plays at Ohio University, Saturday.
Tulsa (3-4): Lost to visiting Saint Louis, 63-58; plays at Valparaiso, Saturday.
Cincinnati (1-5): Lost at UCLA, 66-58; plays at Bowling Green, Sunday.
Houston (3-3): Hit a game-winning three for a 59-58 win over Rice; hosts Prairie View A&M, Sunday.
USF (6-2): Downed visiting Stetson, 78-62; hosts St. John's, Sunday.
Connecticut (5-1): Downed Green Bay, 89-53; plays at No. 2 Notre Dame, Saturday.
Tulane (6-1): Downed Nicholls State, 77-44; plays at UALR, Saturday.
SMU (4-3): Dropped visiting North Texas, 62-55; plays at Arizona State, Saturday.
