Aug. 20, 2011

The University of Memphis women's basketball turned up the defensive pressure in a 109-48 victory over another team of All-Stars from Europe at the Palestra gymnasium in Montepulcia, Italy, Saturday night.

Memphis again went up quickly in the game, sprinting out to a 29-19 first quarter lead after dominating the inside early. That set a trend for the game, as Jasmine Lee grabbed 12 of her 17 total rebounds in the first half of play while the Tigers built a 63-27 halftime lead.

After the half, Memphis pulled out of its full court defense and tried to focus on the half court fundamentals. In total, the Tigers forced 35 turnovers, while committing just nine of their own.

With a big lead under its belt, the Tigers' squad managed to get every player major minutes on the night, with the exception of freshman Ann Jones, who sprained her ankle before the game and had to watch as six of her teammates scored double-digit points.

Point guard Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir led Memphis with 19 points, adding eight assists and six steals. Brittany Carter finished with 17 points, including a 7-for-7 stretch from the free-throw line, while Mary Jackson finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Nicole Dickson and Danay Collier each added 10 points in the victory.

Memphis will leave Florence on Sunday and will travel to the Venice area. The Tigers will visit Pisa Sunday, then will check in at Mestre. The team will next play on Tuesday, the first day of back-to-back games that the team will play in Como, Italy. On Tuesday, the Tigers will play the Nigerian National Team, then will close out the trip on Wednesday with a game against the Saarlouise Royals before flying back to the U.S. Thursday.