Feb. 17, 2006

Final Stats

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - A second half scoring drought and just a 29 percent shooting clip for the game helped the Lady Tigers drop a 73-50 decision at Hattiesburg, Friday night. Memphis. The loss drops Memphis to 3-21 on the season and 1-12 in league play with three regular season games remaining.

"I think Chaney's three at the buzzer (at the end of the first half), really hurt us and broke our spirit," Head Coach Blair Savage said. "I thought our kids played really hard, we just didn't capitalize on the offensive end. When you go 6-for-15 from the free throw line in the second half, it's going to be tough. We can't let someone shoot 49 percent on us, we did out-rebound them, but I think our turnovers early in the first half really put us down."

The game started with the two teams even contesting the jump ball as it took the three officials huddling to determine that Memphis had won the tip. Memphis would score first as Devin Necaise, playing in front of a sizeable contingent of fans from her home county of Hancock County hit a jumper at the top corner of the key. But USM would answer with a 6-0 run to go up 6-2 at the 14:25 mark and Necaise would hit just one other field goal for the game, her first game in seven times without double-digit points and her lowest point total since Dec. 29th.

Memphis then answered back with seven straight points from Paris Leonard, and a Leonard feed to a cutting Jamie Bradley knotted the game at 11 all at the under 12 minute media timeout. But USM went on a 10-4 run to pull ahead 21-15, hitting back-to-back threes as Ashley Harrell, who scored 10 of USM's first 13 points, and Kendra Reed, scored 11 straight points for the Golden Eagles. That lead stretched to 28-18 when the Lady Tigers forced two threes early in the shot clock and went scoreless for a 4:59 stretch late in the first half. The almost five minute scoring drought sent the Lady Tigers to the locker room down 36-24.

USM came out of the locker room and Kendra Reed scored 10 straight points, including a pair of threes, which stretched the USM lead out to 46-30. The Golden Eagles would keep Memphis at bay for the remainder of the half, as Memphis missed on 9 of 15 attempts from the free-throw line while knocking down just nine field goals in the second half.

Reed would finish with 18 points, one behind teammate Amber Eugene, who went 7-for-11 from the field in the USM win. Liz Biland rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.

Memphis had just one player in double-digit points as senior Tamika Butler finished with 13 points. Ashley Howard led all rebounders with 10, while Megan Gooch added six points and seven rebounds.

"I think Megan gave us some really good hustle points," Savage said. "We just did not take advantage of things on our offensive end."

Memphis will wrap up its four-game road swing at UCF, Sunday. That game tips at 2 p.m (ET) and can be heard on WUMR, 91.7 FM, in Memphis. The Lady Tigers will wrap up their regular season back in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse next weekend when they host Houston, Friday, and Rice, Sunday.