On what was a beautiful morning inside Elma Roane Fieldhouse, the game on the court featured a Memphis women’s basketball loss, 69-64, to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Yes, you read that correctly, the Tigers fell to the Lions in the opener. In this piece, we at 4 Star Sports will recap the game, plus have a hard-hitting conversation that is needed.
What Happened?
For the majority of the game, Memphis led the Lions. At the end of the first quarter, Memphis by just two points behind in what was a back-and-forth game. Memphis shot 45% from the field in the opening half while holding the Lions to 23%. These two teams would trade the lead before Memphis went on an 11-1 run to take a ten-point lead.
This lead would fluctuate between eight and twelve points for the Tigers during the third and the majority of the fourth period. This lasted until just under three minutes left in the game, 2:47 to be exact. This is when Memphis was against the wall and could not fight back. Free throws from the Lions extended the lead to five.
Ugly Loss
In the end, the Tigers cannot lose this game. The reason you scheduled this was to allow your roster to gel in what should have been a win. The fourth quarter was embarrassing as Memphis was outscored 25-10 by Arkansas-Pine Bluff. As an American member, this loss hurts the program at the regional and national levels. Furthermore, this loss hurts the program in recruiting. No offense, but there is no reason to be outworked and outcoached by Erica Leak, who was at West Memphis High School two seasons ago.
To be outrebounded 62-46 has to be addressed by this staff. For Memphis, the ‘Natural ‘ State’ opponents continue as they will travel to Arkansas-Little Rock for a Friday meeting. Does Memphis allow one ugly loss to become two? We will soon find out. We will have much more on this game and the upcoming battle with the Trojans on Thursday on the ‘Tigers Den’.
Are We Headed In The Right Direction?
This is not the easiest conversation to have, but it is needed. In what is now the third season of Memphis head coach, Alex Simmons, the results have been sparse, to put it kindly. In her first season, Simmons led Memphis to a 13-17 overall record, including an even 9-9 in AAC play. Last season, the program regressed to single-digit wins as she led the Tigers to a 7-23 record and 5-13 in American play.
With the inexcusable loss on Monday, coupled with the lack of success thus far, we have to ask, “Is the Memphis program headed in the right direction?’. We understand the team is only 0-1, but the loss was a program low. With a road trip coming, will Memphis really start 0-2 against UAPB and UALR? Based on what we saw today, this answer may be yes. The ball is in the court of Simmons, her staff, and this new roster.
In closing, we are not starting a “FireAlexSimmons.com” site after one loss. But, as we mentioned in pregame, we are watching with a microscope. After all, this program has far too much local talent in Memphis alone to be as putrid as we have seen. Build these relationships, and possibly wins will come.
