Nov. 14, 2008
Final Stats
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - -
Complete Box Score in PDF Format 
A 12-0 run to open the second half powered the University of Memphis women's basketball team (1-0) to a 64-47 victory over Northern Arizona (0-1) in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, Friday.
"We gained a little bit of confidence tonight," Head Coach Melissa McFerrin said. "One of the things we're trying to instill is our work habits, and if you can work hard and loose your lungs on the floor and feel good about it when it's over with, then we're building something good. They are learning to trust each other; it doesn't mean we've got everything whipped, we did a lot of things not very well tonight, but our effort was good and they hung together during a tough time when the game was tight."
Down 25-20 with 2:03 remaining in the opening stanza, the Tigers got a three-point field goal from Alex Winchell and freshman Ramses Lonlack made the most of a broken Memphis offensive set by tracking down the loose ball and hitting the jumper to give Memphis its first tie of the game. The comeback offset what was a ragged offensive first half, as the Tigers struggled to get into their offense against a Lumberjack zone that held Memphis to just 10-of-29 (34.9 percent) from the field and 4-of-13 from beyond the arc. Both teams hit the dressing room tied at 25-25.
But after making the halftime adjustments, Memphis came out and got a layup from Ashley Thornton and a pair of free-throws from Tehani Goldsmith before senior guard Paris Leonard knocked down back-to-back three-point field goals. Leonard then stole another ball and laid it in at the other end to push the Memphis lead to 12 at 37-25 with 15:46 to play.
"I was really disappointed in the first half," McFerrin said. "We kept bailing out of our transition. Then we're to our base offense and running it against their 2-3 zone for 38 minutes and they're gonna figure it out. Our transition allowed us to vary our approach against that zone in the second half. I thought Alex Winchell did a very nice job getting us into our stuff. I thought our post players did a nice job passing post-to-post against their zone. It was a very good second half for us from an execution point. "
Northern Arizona would cut the double-digit lead to single digits after Lauren Hoisington hit a free-throw, then a lay-up, then stole a ball and fed it to Jenna Galloway, cutting the Memphis lead to six, at 42-36 with 8:57 to play.
But Memphis quickly answered in transition, getting layups from Thornton and Goldsmith to push back to double-digits. But the Lumberjacks made one more run, as Simone Holmes scored seven points in less than a minute on a pair of back-to-back layups, followed by a three-point field goal. Holmes' heroics cut the Tiger lead to 50-43 with 5:13 to play, but Winchell answered back with a three of her own, and Paris Leonard stole a ball and fed it to a running Goldsmith to push Memphis back in front 55-43 with 4:54 to play. The Tigers poured it on from there, dribbling out the ball at half court for the 64-47 victory.
Leonard led Memphis with 17 points, adding six rebounds and a team-high four steals, while Ashley Thornton opened the season with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for her ninth career double-double. Goldsmith finished with 10 points and four assists. Every Tiger scored and rebounded in the game, with Ramses Lonlack adding six rebounds and four points.
"I though our guards had a lot of energy in the lanes tonight. They had a lot of energy with pressure on the ball and I'm just happy for our team," McFerrin said.
Forward Lauren Hoisington led NAU with a double-double of her own, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes. Simone Holmes added nine points, while Jenna Galloway finished with eight.
Memphis hits the road for a non-conference contest at in-state foe Belmont, Sunday, in Nashville at 4 p.m. NAU stays in the Mid-South and will play at Arkansas State, Sunday.
The Tigers' road game can be heard in the Memphis area on WUMR, 91.7 FM. Fans outside the Memphis listening area can listen to Jeff Brightwell's play-by-play with a subscription to the All-Access package at www.gotigersgo.com. A monthly subscription is $9.95 and includes all Tiger athletics radio and video streamed broadcasts.
NOTES
* With the victory, Memphis improves to 20-16 in season-openers and remains a perfect 4-0 in the first game of a new head coach's tenure.
* Ashley Thornton's double-double gives her nine for her career and marks the second straight season she has opened the campaign with a double-double. Thornton was 5-for-8 from the floor tonight.
* Paris Leonard's 17 points inches her over the 900-career point mark, giving her 901 heading into Sunday's clash at Belmont. Her four threes gives her 105 for her career. She needs 26 more triples to tie Lauren Jackson (1998-2002) for fifth all-time at Memphis in career threes.
* The 17-point victory is the largest margin of victory for Memphis since a 69-50 win over East Carolina on Jan. 12th of last season.
* Freshman Ramses Lonlack and junior transfer Tehani Goldsmith both made their first career starts for the Tigers on Friday night.
