Tigers Basketball Hosts Southern Illinois Sunday

Sunday, November 29

Memphis, Tenn.

2 pm CT

University of Memphis

Southern Illinois

Tickets

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Nov 28, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Memphis looks for 4-0 home start to 2015-16 campaign.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis women's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sunday, Nov. 29 when it hosts Southern Illinois. Game time is 2 p.m. (CT).

And, the Elma Roane Fieldhouse has been very friendly for the Tigers early in 2015-16. Memphis has won its first three home games and looks to start a season 4-0 at home for the first time since 2011-12. That season, Memphis won its first 11 home games and finished the campaign with a 17-2 home record.

Last year, Memphis dropped an 82-75 decision to Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill., but the Tigers look to turn the tables Sunday.

"They beat us last year because we just didn't play well," said McFerrin. "They come to us this year. We know we stumped our toe against them a year ago. This is a team that is picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, which is a pretty good women's basketball league. We've got to be ready to play."

Radio: 91.7 FM (WUMR)
Internet Video: www.gotigersgo.com/watch
Live Stats: memphis.statbroadcast.com
LiveTweet: @MemphisWBKB, #MEMWBKB, #GoTigersGo

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
• Sunday's game begins a three-game homestand for the Tigers, the longest of the 2015-16 season. After Sunday's contest against Southern Illinois, Memphis welcomes Saint Louis Wednesday, Dec. 2 and nationally-ranked George Washington next Sunday, Dec. 6.
• Memphis holds a 12-5 all-time series lead over Southern Illinois. The Tigers also have won three of the last five meetings between the two programs, but the Salukis took an 82-75 win in last season's encounter. Last year's game was the first between the two programs since the 1998-99 campaign. Memphis won that 1998-99 game (Nov. 23, 1998) by a score of 84-67 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Memphis is 6-1 versus Southern Illinois in games played in the Bluff City. The Salukis' lone victory in the city of Memphis was back in the 1985-86 season, a 71-56 win.
• The Tigers have a 26-11 all-time record against members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Last season, Memphis played two MVC foes and split those meetings between Missouri State (79-63 win) and Southern Illinois (82-75 loss).
• Senior Brianna Wright is off to a solid all-around start to 2015-16. She is the team's second-leading scorer (10.8 ppg) and top rebounder (7.6 rpg), and she's also giving the Tigers production on the defensive end with 12 steals (second on team) and seven blocks (leads team). The 6-foot-1 forward recorded double-doubles in the last two games, the eighth and ninth of her career.
• Seniors Asianna Fuqua-Bey and Ariel Hearn are playing their 100^th career games Sunday. Hearn's 93 starts and 3,332 minutes both are in the top-10 on the Memphis career charts. Fuqua-Bey's 84 starts are just outside the all-time starts top-10 list.

Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 2-2 after its first four games of 2015-16. The Salukis posted wins over Siena and Tennessee State as part of the Preseason WNIT. Senior Dyana Pierre (14.7 ppg) and redshirt junior Rishonda Napier (14.5 ppg) are the Salukis' scoring leaders. Pierre also leads Southern Illinois with an impressive 13.3 rebounding average. Redshirt senior Cartaesha Macklin leads the squad with 17 assists and seven steals. In the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, Southern Illinois was picked fourth and also received one first-place vote.