Memphis Women’s Basketball Drops Overtime Thriller at #15 Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers {2-1} and the Memphis Tigers {1-2} women’s basketball teams faced off in a thrilling contest that went into overtime, with the Vols coming out ahead 84-74. This marked the first time the two teams faced each other since 2001 and just the second time in history that they’ve gone into overtime, with the previous instance dating back to 1979.
The Volunteers entered the game on a 31-game winning streak against non-conference opponents. They started strong with a 14-4 run, but the Tigers clawed back to tie the game at 20 by the end of the first period.
Memphis, showcasing their strength, resilience, and determination, refused to back down and surged ahead with a 16-12 run in the second period. The Tigers would use this run to catapult them into a, at one point, nine-point lead. Memphis would head to halftime with a 36-32 advantage.
The second half was an intense battle, with both teams trading leads and the Volunteers managing a 14-point run. The score was 50-49 in favor of Tennessee with two minutes left in the third quarter, and by the end of the quarter, they were leading by 54-51.
The Volunteers started the final period with six unanswered points to extend their lead to 60-51. However, the Tigers refused to give up and managed to cut the lead to 66-62 with less than a minute left to play.
The game went into overtime after a massive effort from Memphis freshman Raven Sims, who cut the deficit to two with a crucial and-one play with 23 seconds on the clock. After a pair of free throws from Tennessee, Memphis again made it a two-point game, 69-67, with just twelve seconds to go. The game would be tied at 69, as we would enter overtime.
In overtime, Memphis would claw with all their might but come up short. Despite a valiant effort and zero quit, the Tigers would fall to the Vols for the 20th time in program history. If you look back at the history of these two programs, tonight shows that Memphis, under new head coach Alex Simmons, is here to make this Volunteer State matchup competitive.
Analyzing the stats, Memphis shot 36% (28-80) from the field, 35% (7-20) from deep, and 75% (9-12) from the free-throw line. They were outrebounded by Tennessee 56-40.
Memphis’ defense stood out, forcing 23 Tennessee turnovers and holding the Volunteers to 41% (28-67) from the field and 41% (4-19) from three. Their defensive prowess kept them in the game and allowed them to create extra possessions.
In overtime, the intensity increased as both teams traded blows. With 2:51 left on the clock, the score was tied at 73. However, timely foul shots from Tennessee at the end of the overtime period sealed the 84-74 victory for the Volunteers.
Memphis had impressive performances from Kai Carter, who led the team with 18 points on 8/19 shooting, and Raven Sims, who scored a crucial layup to push the game into overtime and finished the night with 9 points on 4/6 shooting.
The Tigers will next travel to the Bahamas to take on Arizona in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis opening round. Despite the loss, the Tigers showed tenacity, resilience, and a promising future for the rest of the season.
