Tigers Women's Basketball At Central Michigan Tuesday

Tuesday, December 15

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

11 am CT

University of Memphis

Central Michigan

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Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Women's Basketball At Central Michigan Tuesday

Dec 14, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Game tips at 11 a.m. (CT) and can be viewed on WatchESPN/ESPN3.com.

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – It's déjà vu, all over again.

That's what it must feel like for the University of Memphis women's basketball team as it prepares for Tuesday's early afternoon start against Central Michigan. Game time is 11 a.m. (CT)/12 p.m. (ET) from McGuirk Arena, and the contest can be viewed on WatchESPN/ESPN3.com.

For the second game in a row, the Tigers face a team – this time, the Chippewas – that likes to shoot three-pointers. Central Michigan enters Tuesday's match-up averaging 7.6 three-pointers made per game and 21.4 three-point attempts per contest.

"Central Michigan is going to be similar to Minnesota in that they will let the ball fly from the arc," said Tigers head coach Melissa McFerrin. "They like to push the ball, and like Minnesota, have scored over 100 points in a game earlier this season.

"Of course, we want to speed up the game with our pressure, but we have to be smart with our pressure. Central Michigan is another good team, and its RPI is sky-high right now."

Memphis held its own against Minnesota's three-point strategy. The Golden Gophers entered last Saturday's game with three-point averages of 10.7 made and 29.0 attempts. The 10.7 three-pointers made per game were fourth-best in the nation. Minnesota also was shooting nearly 37 percent from the arc. The Tigers held Minnesota to 3-of-15 from the arc for a 20 percent shooting mark.

Radio: 91.7 FM (WUMR)
Internet Video: ESPN3.com/WatchESPN
Live Stats: cmuchippewas.com/gametracker
LiveTweet: @MemphisWBKB, #MEMWBKB, #GoTigersGo

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
• Tuesday's contest at Central Michigan is the second of a two-game road trip for the Tigers. Memphis played at Minnesota Dec. 12 and remained on the road, traveling to Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Sunday. The Tigers play another two road games back-to-back in mid-February at UCF Feb. 10 and East Carolina Feb. 13, but will return to Memphis in between those two road contests.

• Memphis holds a 1-0 series lead over Central Michigan. The first meeting between the two schools took place in the Bluff City last season. The Tigers posted a 62-61 win over the Chippewas at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Dec. 6, 2014.

• For Tigers head coach Melissa McFerrin, Tuesday's game is a trip down memory lane. McFerrin, who is in her seventh season at Memphis, began her NCAA Division I coaching career at Central Michigan in 1984-85. In that first season in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., McFerrin helped lead the Chippewas to their second-straight Mid-American Conference regular-season championship (15-3 conference record). In her six seasons (1984-90) at Central Michigan, McFerrin helped the program record over 100 victories and four winning campaigns.

• There's a first time for everything, and that's the case for Memphis Tuesday. For the first time in the program's history, the Tigers play a game in the state of Michigan. Memphis' visit to the Great Lakes State is the 37^th state in which the program has played. After Tuesday's contest, the Tigers will have played in 37 states and the District of Columbia.

• For the fourth-straight game, the Tigers play a team with a +5.0 rebound margin or better. In the previous three games, Memphis held its own in two of the contests. The Tigers out-rebounded Saint Louis (+2; SLU entered Dec. 2 game with a +5.5 margin) and Minnesota (+1; MN entered Dec. 12 game with a +6.4 margin). Central Michigan brings a +6.1 rebound margin into Tuesday's game.

Scouting Central Michigan
The Chippewas enter Tuesday's game with a 4-3 record. Central Michigan opened 2015-16 with four-straight wins, but since, has dropped three-consecutive contests. The Chippewas' last three setbacks were to UIC and Illinois on the road and Duquesne at home.

Central Michigan returns only one starter and eight letterwinners from last season's squad. Freshman Presley Hudson leads three Chippewas averaging double figures at 18.0 ppg. Sophomore Cassie Breen (11.1 ppg) and redshirt junior Jewel Cotton (10.4 ppg) also average double digits. Cotton (8.4 rpg) and freshman Reyna Frost (8.1 rpg) lead Central Michigan on the glass. Da'Jourie Turner is tops on the squad with 28 assists (4.0 apg), and Hudson has a team-best 17 steals. Breen (45 percent) and Hudson (38.2 percent) are the squad's top three-point threats.

Central Michigan is shooting 40.8 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from the three-point arc and 73.7 percent from the free throw line. The Chippewas average 21.4 three-point attempts per game (150 total). Central Michigan is out-rebounding its opponents by an average margin of +6.1 boards per game (45.4-39.3).