Aug. 24, 2011

Castellenze, Italy - The University of Memphis women's basketball team closed out its 2011 Italian road trip with a 99-72 victory over the Slammers All-Star Team to finish the trip with a 4-0 mark Wednesday night.

The All-Star squad was the same team the Tigers faced in Florence, but had gained two new players to the roster, and it made an immediate difference, as the veteran international players went right at the Tigers to go up 9-4 in the early minutes of the game. But Memphis looked to senior post Jasmine Lee to continue where she left off following a double-double last night, and the senior converted a bucket and one and then knocked down two free-throws to push the Tigers in front 10-9. Memphis would never relinquish the lead from there, but the Slammers kept pulling close, including pulling within one with just under eight minutes left in the second quarter before Jailyn Norris drained a three that gave the Tigers a cushion at 24-20. Memphis would get out in transition off turnovers to end the second quarter up 46-33.

After finding themselves in a close contest for the first time in three games, Memphis focused on coming out strong to start the third quarter, using an 11-2 run to seal the game. The Slammers relied on the three-point ball to try to dig out of the hole, closing the gap late in the fourth quarter to the final 99-72 score in a contest that got physical inside.

Lee led Memphis with 18 points, adding seven rebounds, while freshman post Ann Jones helped continue the domination inside with a 16-point night, adding five rebounds. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir slashed through the defense for 15 points, adding six assists, while Danay Collier helped keep the international squad at bay in the second half with 11 points, including 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Brittany Carter added 10 points and a team-high nine steals, while helping lead the defensive onslaught that gave Memphis the momentum going in to the half.

With the conclusion of the trip, the Tigers will fly back to Memphis on Thursday, arriving Thursday night. The team will begin classes on Monday for the official start to the 2011-2012 season. Complete photo galleries, videos and player blogs will be available after the team returns to Memphis. Some galleries are already available on the women's basketball page Facebook page (Facebook.com/UofMWBKB).