Dec. 29, 2008

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format

The University of Memphis women's basketball team (6-6) will wrap up its non-conference schedule on the road at Tennessee Tech, Tuesday, at 7 p.m.

This will be the 21st meeting all-time between the Tigers and the Golden Eagles and TTU leads the all-time series 15-5 and 4-1 in games played in Cookeville. Memphis' only road win at TTU was in the last meeting between the two teams in Cookeville in 2003-04. Memphis won that game 71-50, but TTU returned the favor, upending Memphis in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse last year, 74-58.

Memphis comes in to the game with an even .500 record through the first 12 games of Melissa McFerrin's tenure. The Tigers were off to a quick 5-2 record, including a 5-0 mark in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, before suffering a four-game losing streak that pushed the Tigers below .500 for the first time on the season. But after the 84-45 loss to UT Arlington, the Tigers bounced back to win the consolation game at the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout to defeat Winthrop 52-46 to pull back to .500.

Heading in to Tuesday night's game, Memphis is trying to make it out of its non-conference schedule with a mark above .500 for the first time since a 7-6 mark following non-conference play to open the 2004-05 season.

Tennessee Tech is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, having fallen on the road at Southern Illinois, 74-67, and at home, 101-66 to Middle Tennessee on Sunday.

Senior guard/forward Blair Bowens leads TTU with 13.6 points and 22 three-point field goals made, while senior guard Meagan Lyons adds 10.1 points per game. Lyons also leads the team with 23 steals and is shooting 48.8 percent from the floor. Teammate Jasmine White, a sophomore forward, also shoots 48.8 percent from the floor, averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game.

The two teams have one common opponent so far this season. Memphis lost at Belmont, 69-60, in its second game of the season. TTU also fell at Belmont, 68-62 in its third game of the year.

About Tennessee Tech
This is the 21st overall meeting between Memphis and Tennessee Tech, and the Golden Eagles have the upper hand in the series, 15-5, including a 4-1 record in games played in Cookeville. Memphis' only win in Cookeville was in 2003-04, when the Tigers won 71-50. That was the last meeting between the teams in Cookeville, and TTU made the most of its last trip to Memphis, downing the Tigers, 74-58, last season.

TTU is in its third season under Amy Brown. Brown was a long-time assistant coach at TTU and has a 23-48 overall record coming in to Tuesday night's game, including a 1-0 record over the Tigers.

Memphis is 59-23 overall against the current Ohio Valley membership. The Tigers have a winning record against every OVC member except Tennessee Tech.

Leonard Named to the All-Tournament Team
Senior guard Paris Leonard averaged 10.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in the 1-1 week at the Sunsplash Shootout in Nassau, Bahamas before the break. Leonard scored 16 points against Winthrop, shooting 7-for-16 from the field. It was the second all-tournament honor for Leonard, who was named the tournament MVP for Memphis' tournament at the end of November.

Goldsmith Scores Eight Points in Six Crucial Members
Junior guard Tehani Goldsmith only scored eight points against Winthrop, but they were a crucial eight points, coming in the last six minutes of the game, and snapping a Winthrop run that had given the Eagles the lead. Goldsmith's three cut a five-point Memphis deficit with 6:18 to play and her next two points, a pair of free-throws, gave Memphis a two-point lead it would never relinquish with 2:56 to play.

Goldsmith averaged 10.0 points in the tournament, ranking her third on the team in scoring. She was also the team's top three-point shooter in tournament, connecting on three three-point field goals on six attempts.

Copeland Makes First Career Starts
Sophomore forward/post Shekeira Copeland made her first two career starts at the Bahamas tournament. She averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and tied for the team lead with four steals in the two games. She also shot 46.7 percent from the floor in the two games. She was 2-for-8 from the field in the Bahamas tournament and will be looking to get back on track before the C-USA slate begins on Sunday.

Thornton Looking for 700th Career Point
Senior forward is coming in to the Tennessee Tech game with 680 career points and 561 career rebounds. She needs just 20 more points for 700 for her career and 39 more rebounds for 600 for her three-year Tiger career.

Thornton transferred to Memphis from Birmingham Southern following her freshman season when BSC decided to move to NCAA Division III.

Lonlack Looking for 100th Point
Heading in to just her 13th collegiate game, freshman guard Ramses Lonlack is just one point shy of her 100th career point. The freshman has had a little more trouble scoring now that opponents have seen her defense on tape. She had her first career scoreless night against UT Arlington and scored five points in the win over Winthrop.

Leonard Creeping Up On 15th All-Time
Senior guard Paris Leonard is just 105 points shy of breaking in to the career top 15 in scoring. Leonard trails Lynn Enzweiler's mark of 1,185 points with 1,080 points.

Stop! Thief!
Memphis ranks second in Conference USA in steals with 9.0/game, with a pair of Tigers ranked in the top five in the league in steals. Senior Paris Leonard, who currently ranks third in the league in scoring, leads C-USA with 2.92 steals per game. Freshman Ramses Lonlack has dropped to fifth in the league with 2.00 steals per game. Tigers Lose 2007-08 Starting Point Guard

The Tigers will be without junior point guard LaToya Bullard for the 2008-09 season after the Memphis native underwent season-ending surgery on Dec. 15th. Bullard hopes to be back for the 2009-2010 season.

About Our Opponents:
Here is a look at how our past and upcoming opponents have fared as of late:

Northern Arizona (3-10): Dropped its final non-conference game to Denver, 76-60; opens league play at Eastern Washington, Friday.
Belmont (7-2, 2-0 A-Sun): Defeated UT Martin, 72-48, plays at Alabama, Monday.
Louisiana Tech (7-5): Bounced back from a 51-41 loss at LSU with a 77-61 win over UALR; faces Virginia, Monday.
Ole Miss (7-2): Suffered second straight loss with a 46-42 loss at NC State; hosts UALR Wednesday.
Ohio (4-6): Fell at Syracuse, 67-62; plays at South Alabama, Monday.
Wichita State (7-3): Defeated Western Illinonis, 65-46; hosts Mercer, Monday.
Stephen F. Austin (5-6): Dropped two games in Cancun, falling to Missouri State and San Francisco.
Arkansas (9-3): Fell by one, 56-55 to Missouri; hosts Western Illinois, Monday.
South Alabama (10-2, 1-0 Sun Belt):Won their fourth straight game with a 65-47 win at Florida International; hosts Ohio in final non-conference game on Monday.
Mississippi State (11-0): Improved to 11-0, a school-record best start, with a win over Marshall; plays Maryland Tuesday.
UT Arlington (4-6): Came up just short with a 63-56 loss to No. 25 Georgia Tech.
Winthrop (4-5): Fell to the Tigers, 52-46, in the consolation game of the Sunsplash Shootout; hosts Campbell, Tuesday.
Tennessee Tech (3-8, 1-0 OVC): Fell to Middle Tennessee, 101-66; hosts Memphis Tuesday.
UAB (4-7): Had a 73-49 loss to Georgia snap a two-game winning streak; hosts Alabama A&M, Monday.
UCF (2-9): Lost third straight game, 85-67 to Ole Miss; plays at Florida State, Wednesday.
Southern Miss (6-6): Won consolation game 73-68 at UNLV tournament; hosts Nicholls State, Tuesday.
Rice (3-6): Dropped fifth straight game, 79-76 to Hofstra; plays UT Martin Monday.
Houston (8-3): Won second straight game with a 74-59 win over Akron; plays at Kansas, Wednesday.
East Carolina (8-3): Has a four-game winning streak following a 68-63 win over Florida Atlantic; plays Marist, Monday.
Marshall (6-4): Fell to Richmond, 74-49; plays Mississippi State, Monday.
UTEP (6-6): Lost to No. 4 Texas, 79-40; plays Sacramento State, Tuesday.
Tulane (8-4): Lost in overtime to Temple, 75-71; hosts South Florida, Tuesday.
SMU (6-6): Won second straight game with a 92-75 victories over UAPB; plays at No. 19/22 TCU, Tuesday.
Tulsa (3-6): Fell at No. 6 Oklahoma, 94-42; hosts UT Arlington Monday.