University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Florida Atlantic
Tigers Host Pair of Florida Schools in Second Week of Conference Action
Jan 06, 2026 | Women's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis women's basketball hosts their conference home opener on Wednesday, January 7, at 7 p.m. against Florida Atlantic. On Saturday, they will welcome South Florida for a 2 p.m. game, also at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Wednesday's game is Divine Nine Night; members or alumni of a Divine Nine organization are encouraged to wear their paraphernalia for a discount at the door. Tickets for either game can be purchased HERE.
The Tigers (6-9, 0-2 American) are looking for their first conference win after dropping two tight contests at Charlotte and East Carolina. Daejah Richmond is second in the conference in steals (2.4), and Chaé Harris is seventh in points (13.4).
Game One: Florida Atlantic
One of these two sides will pick up their first American Conference victory on Wednesday night; FAU fell in two home games against North Texas and Rice last week.
Since joining the American in 2023, the Owls have played Memphis three times, winning the most recent game, a 69-62 win in Boca Raton. Tamya Smith posted a then-career-high 21 points, shooting 9-of-12 from inside the arc. The Tigers won the first matchup of 2024-25, 73-60, in addition to a 76-56 victory in January 2024 at FedExForum.
LeAnn Freeland is in her first year in charge of FAU after Memphis alum Jennifer Sullivan joined Missouri as an assistant under head coach Kellie Harper. Freeland spent 13 seasons leading Division-II school Nova Southeastern in South Florida, where she compiled a 274-124 record and reached the D-II Final Four in 2013-14.
Junior College All-American Vivian Onugha leads the team in points (9.4) and rebounds (5.7). A high-volume shooting team, the Owls rank 41st nationally in three-point rate (41.5%), led by Grace Carstensen who has made 39.4% of her 4.7 attempts per game from deep. Memphis' defense has made its living chasing teams off the line, allowing threes on just 27.5% of possessions.
Game Two: South Florida
The Bulls (8-7, 1-1 American) will pay a visit to Birmingham to take on UAB on Tuesday. They lost a tight contest to Rice before easily handling North Texas last weekend, with both games being in Tampa.
Memphis trails the all-time series, 15-17, as they look to snap a seven-game losing streak against USF. Last season, the Tigers hung around with the eventual American Conference champions before falling, 80-70, in Tampa. A Memphis win would be their first over the Bulls since Jan. 23, 2019.
Michele Woods-Baxter is serving as the interim head coach; long-time coach Jose Fernandez accepted a head coaching job with the WNBA's Dallas Wings in October. Woods-Baxter is in her 18th season on the South Florida staff, having been a part of 13 postseason appearances and nine 20-win seasons.
In-state transfers Edyn Battle (Jacksonville) and Stefanie Ingram (Florida Atlantic) lead the team in scoring with 14.8 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Unlike the Owls, South Florida is near the very bottom nationally in three-point attempts per game (13.8). Returners L'or Mputu and Carla Brito combine for 15 rebounds per game.
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.
