Nov. 4, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - Fans can have their first peek at the 2009-2010 University of Memphis women's basketball team for free on Sunday, Nov. 8th, beginning at 2 p.m. against the Houston Jaguars traveling exhibition team. The game will be played in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse (495 Zach Curlin Drive) in the heart of the University of Memphis campus.

The Tiger squad features just three returnees from last season, and will have seven different players in uniform under head coach Melissa McFerrin for the first time on Sunday.

"We are excited. It's been a pre-season where we had a lot to learn and we are anxious to put it on the floor and learn more things about ourselves," McFerrin said.

Memphis returns three players who were starters by the end of last season, including juniors Savannah Ellis and Alex Winchell and sophomore Ramses Lonlack. Ellis led the team in blocked shots and finished second in rebounding last season, while Winchell led the team in assists and finished second in three-point field goals made. Lonlack started all 30 games as a freshman, ranking third on the team in scoring, steals and rebounds.

Winchell and Lonlack will have some new backcourt mates this season, including redshirt senior LaToya Bullard and redshirt sophomore Brittany Carter. Bullard is returning from back surgery, which cost her all of last season, while Carter sat out last year after transferring from the University of Georgia the previous summer. Another redshirt from last year looking forward to suiting up for her first career game as a Tiger is redshirt freshman guard Christine Lesane. Lesane had signed with the Tigers in the summer of 2008, but was not eligible to play until there were single digit games remaining in the Tigers' regular season, and ended up redshirting the entire season. Freshman Chatia Kelsey rounds out the guard corps, giving Memphis another high-energy player to amp up the defensive pressure.

One of the first things fans will notice compared to last year's team is the size and athletic ability of the entire squad. The size Memphis has up front is a big part of that. Ellis is the lone returning frontcourt player for the team in 2009-2010, but there is still a lot of experience up front with the addition of junior college transfers Starkitsha Luellen-Higgins and Taylor Mumphrey and the signing of freshman Nicole Dickson. Luellen-Higgins was a player at Southwest Tennessee Community College, helping the Saluqis to a 51-3 record in her two seasons there. The 6-0 post gives the Tigers some size down low, while Mumphrey gives Memphis a long and lanky post who can run the floor and give Tiger opponents another look down low to deal with. Dickson is a solid young post who was the lone freshman to make it through the entire pre-season without missing a practice due to injury. The repetitions in practice should help the youngster accelerate her learning curve heading in to Sunday's match-up.

Season ticket holders attending Sunday's game are also asked to pick up their tickets for the Tigers' regular season opener against Indiana on Friday. Since the doubleheader game is so close to the men's games starting time, season ticket holders will receive a ticket good for admission to the men's game on Friday night as well.

Fans unable to make Sunday's game can listen to it on the air in the Memphis area on WUMR, 91.7 FM. Fans outside the Memphis listening area can watch live, streaming video of the exhibition game through an All-Access membership. Memberships are available from www.gotigersgo.com/All-Access for just $9.95 a month. Fans can watch streaming video for all home games except the final home game of the year against East Carolina. A change in streaming rights means all games that air on CBS C live or on a pay-per-view basis will no longer be available to watched live online. This policy went in to effect November 3rd.