Nov. 28, 2008

Box Score

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - With three different players in double-digit scoring and with two different players with double-digit rebounds, the University of Memphis (4-2) women's basketball team advanced to the championship game of the 24th Annual Piggly Wiggly Classic with a 61-54 victory over Wichita State, Friday night.

"We had a hard time hitting some shots that I thought that we should have hit," Head Coach Melissa McFerrin said. "I think that put a lot of pressure on a lot of other parts of our game. We shot 27 percent in the first half and I thought that we had every look that we wanted and we put the ball every place that we had wanted to put it. We just couldn't put the ball in the basket. Their post players were playing behind us and that's a little unsettling for post players because you want to know where they are. I felt that our post players had some happy feet and they were just a little nervous not knowing where that defender was."

Memphis jumped out to a quick 12-3 lead to start the game, powered by a pair of three-point field goals from Alex Winchell and baskets from three other Tigers, including Shae Seagraves, who made her first career start. The Tigers threatened to break the game open after Ashley Thornton converted one of two free-throws to put Memphis up 15-6 with 13:03 to play.

But a 6-1 Shocker run cut the deficit to 16-12 with 8:28 to play. The remainder of the first half was a nip-and-tuck affair, with the Tigers never able to build a lead bigger than seven. Wichita State threatened to take a lead in to the dressing room, holding the Tigers without a field goal for the last 5:56 of the opening half. But the Shockers could only get as close as one, heading in to the break with Memphis leading 27-26.

The Shockers allowed just a pair of buckets for Memphis in the opening four minutes of the second half, taking a 32-31 lead powered by five points from senior forward Marcy Sudbeck, who finished with a her fifth straight double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the game. But Winchell again connected from three-point range, pulling Memphis within one, before a Savannah Ellis steal was pushed ahead to Paris Leonard, who converted the layup to help Memphis retake the lead 36-35 with 15:20 to play. Neither team could convert from the field in the next three minutes, before a Paris Leonard jumper started a 9-0 Memphis run that pushed the lead in to double-digits at 53-39 following a Ramses Lonlack three-point field goal with 8:23 to play.

Wichita State kept trying to go back inside to Sudbeck, but it wasn't until the Shockers hit back to back threes with less than 33 seconds left in the game that the Memphis lead would be cut to single digits before the clock expired on the final 61-54 score.

Alex Winchell led Memphis with a career-high 16 points on 4-for-9 shooting, connecting on all four field goals from three-point range. Winchell was also 4-4 from the free-throw line. Ashley Thornton finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, while Savannah Ellis banished shooting woes, hitting just 1-of-7 from the floor, but led all players with 14 rebounds. Ellis also added three blocks and two steals in 30 minutes of play.

Sudbeck led WSU with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jacie Hoyt added 13 points, seven rebounds and six steals, while Marisah Henderson added 10 points in the loss.

With the win, the Tigers advance to the championship game to face Stephen F. Austin. That game will be played Saturday at approximately 7:15 p.m., or 30 minutes following the completion of the consolation game. WSU will play in the consolation bracket at 5 p.m., Saturday against Jacksonville State.