The 2021-22 regular season has been a roller coaster for the University of Memphis’ Women’s Basketball team.
The team’s growing pains have been evident throughout the course of the season. Lately, those struggles have risen to the forefront. The Tigers have lost five of their last six games in conference play.
With only one remaining contest in the regular season, the Tigers’ focus remains on concluding the campaign on a high note.
Nestled in eighth place in the American Athletic Conference, the Tigers (14-11, 5-9 AAC) enter Wednesday’s (March 2) contest against East Carolina (11-16, 4-10 AAC) at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse with revenge in mind.
The team suffered an embarrassing 68-38 defeat at the hands of ECU last month, which is expected to provide the fuel needed for the team to perform at a high level.
“This one is on me, and I cannot say that we were prepared for this game tonight, and that is entirely on me,” Tigers head coach Katrina Merriweather said after the Feb.13 loss to ECU.
In that game, the Tigers failed to score above 40 points for the first time all season. Senior center Tyler Frierson led the team in scoring with seven points and star guards Madison Griggs, Jamirah Shutes and Madison Griggs shot a combined 2 of 22 from the field.
The team converted just 27 percent of their shots and turned the ball over a whopping 30 times.
This disappointing effort from the Tigers caused a typically positive-minded Merriweather to ponder if she had properly prepared her team for the pesky Pirates.
“I am pretty puzzled, disappointed and embarrassed,” Merriweather added. “We must move past this game and get ready for the next one by watching film and seeing what went right and what went wrong for us.”
After the ECU defeat, Memphis secured an 18-point win over SMU three days later, and senior guard Shutes was relieved to finally capture another American Athletic Conference victory.
“We had to be better defensively, and we were, and I feel we moved the ball pretty well and that’s what led to the victory,” Shutes said after the Feb. 16 win.
That game represented the last win Memphis garnered in conference play, with the Tigers losing two straight games entering the regular season finale.
While the team suffered losses to Wichita State on Senior Night and a 13-point setback at the hands of the University of Cincinnati, those results matter little now.
At this point, it’s all about making sure the team is ready for an East Carolina team that will be loaded with confidence.
“We need to improve our shot selection, ball movement, and come out with renewed energy,” Merriweather said when asked what is needed to defeat East Carolina.
“That includes rebounding the ball, passing up good shots for better shots … I think those things will be emphasized the most during that game.”
The plan continues to remain the same for Merriweather’s Tigers – get better every day and take it one game at a time.
With only two guaranteed games left in the season – the regular-season finale and first round of the American Athletic Conference tournament – Memphis must be sure not to look past a team that humiliated them earlier this season.
