University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
7-11,1-4American
North Texas
10-7,4-1American
Memphis' Comeback Effort Falls Short at North Texas
Jan 13, 2026 | Women's Basketball
DENTON, Texas – Memphis women's basketball was defeated by North Texas, 75-64, on Tuesday night.
The Tigers (7-11, 1-4 American) trailed by just six points in the fourth quarter after falling behind 21 points, but North Texas kept the Tigers at bay to pull away late. Tamya Smith led the team in points (21), rebounds (six) and steals (four).
Memphis kept one of the best rebounding teams in the nation from dominating the glass, losing the rebounding battle 40-36 and allowing just seven offensive boards from the Mean Green (10-7, 4-1 American).
It was a cold start offensively against one of the strongest defenses in the conference; after a Smith bucket made it 19-13 in favor of UNT, the Tigers underwent a six-minute drought that extended into the second quarter as the hosts built a 29-13 lead before a Cori Allen jumper stopped the bleeding.
After shooting just 30.8% from the field in the first half, Memphis trailed by as much as 21 before the offense shot into gear. Smith connected on her second of a career-high three three-pointers to spark a 6-0 run, and eight North Texas turnovers helped push the Tigers back into the game.
After consecutive threes from Chaé Harris, including one as time expired in the quarter, the Memphis run concluded at 17-2 and the score entering the fourth quarter was 56-50. On the whole, the Tigers made seven threes, their second-highest mark of the season.
Despite a hard-fought final quarter, the visitors would never get any closer than they did at the beginning. In a game that lacked flow, North Texas shot a season-high 33 free throw attempts as the foul discrepancy was 29 to 14 in favor of the hosts.
Megan Nestor led the Mean Green with 17 points and 11 rebounds, as an opponent reached 50% field goal shooting against Memphis for the second consecutive game. The Tigers lost the turnover battle for just the third time this year, turning it over 22 times while forcing 19.
After its first bye week of the conference season, Memphis will play at Wichita State on Tuesday, January 20, at 6 p.m.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
