Womens Game Memphis at Tulsa

[TU4ever2]

Game got moved up to 2 pm with the men's game postponed, originally scheduled as a double header.

Memphis is down on their luck. Tulsa looked good then bad, then ok at Cincinnati for a win last game. This is one the ladies need to win and show they will be competitive in the second tier while getting wins against the bottom teams.

Mayberrys got some good help last game. Lewis and Lascay showed some real leadership and set the tone. Lascay left injured in the Cincinnati game and it showed as Tulsa took a while to get back into solid play. Wyvette showed she can use her skills off the ball, especially her defense to influence the game. Something her sister has definitely shown she can do as well.

Game is on ESPN+ and 93.5 the Jet on Iheartradio app or your local dial. Plus has replays and you can watch on delay if you want, so as always you will get a spoiler alert if the game gets close near the end. Hopefully the girls come out, take care of business and there won't be any of that.

 

[TU4ever2]

Pleasant surprise Bruce doing plus play by play. I will enjoy this

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa a bit haphazard to start. Tulsa will have to block out and rebound need our Icelandic forward to get back to her form she disappeared a bit the last two games.

 

[TU4ever2]

Lascay is playing and looks good moving around. Think that is huge.

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa struggling with a half court trap. Tulsa needs to get their heads up and tighten up on defense.

6:30 1Q
Memphis 8
Tulsa 4

Wyvette with an early steal and lay up to get a basket.

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa gets some defense and turns it into offense. The girls have also adjusted to the trap and the offense looks pretty good. The defense is still slacking off here or there and allowing some open shots. Memphis is making them pay for it. Tulsa needs to stay consistent on offense with good movement and get consistent with their defensive pressure and they should be able to build a steady lead. Back and forth game right now

2:58 1Q
Memphis 16
Tulsa 13

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa has an unforced turnover, misses a tough lay up, and then rushes the final shot in the last minute. Fortunately defense has definitely got their pressure up and they seem to be intent on maintaining. Wyvette is noticeably more intense from the first three or four games. Its paying off, clearly taking following Lascay's lead from Cincy and this game. I like it.

2Q
Memphis 18
Tulsa 17

 

[TU4ever2]

Mia is starting to take over. Tulsa's offense is smoothing out again but still not quite there. Defense is staying at a high level, Memphis is making tough shots but there haven't been the lapses we saw in the first quarter. Tulsa needs to keep playing at this level and the offense should get completely synched up. Still back and forth but Tulsa seems to be having the easier time of it while Memphis is fighting for everything.



4:46 2Q
Memphis 27
Tulsa 28

Beck and Mayberry girls on the court daughters of Corey Beck and of course Lee both played for Nolan at Arkansas so this is kind of the Richardson classic. All three girls definitely reflect their fathers in the game.

 

[TU4ever2]

Mia takes over on offense. Lascay misses lay up, gets a hand on the ball from the rebound, forces a scramble, fights for it, gets on the floor, get st ball out to a returning teammate. Miss Biddle playing like she did most of last year, smart, solid head up, good decisions. Lewis is steady and working her *** off on D and boards. Our awesome Icelandic forward whose name I can not say and my spell check already hates me, is back to playing fantastic, great defense, good rebounding, showing poise on offense, good distribution, has a couple finishes and both regular assists and a couple hockey style ones.

Tulsa is forcing turnovers and team defense is so strong to finish the half. Half of Tulsa's own turnovers have been unforced errors, clean that up and they will really take control of the game.

Half time
Memphis 31
Tulsa 36

Largest lead of the game. Need to start the third quarter with a lot of intensity and some good offense to stretch this lead to a more comfortable margin.

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa shooting 58% forced 15 turnovers, they are losing the rebounding 15-9. They close that up just a little bit and they will really be playing a great game. That and some good shooting with hands in their face has kept Memphis in the game.

Let's get a good run to start the half.

 

[TU4ever2]

Woah, Mia has 17 already and is on fire!!

 

[TU4ever2]

Mia with a deep deep deep 3!!!!

Lascay all hustle leading the way, missed shot, tipped rebound, she goes and gets it puts it back in. Next play drives collapses the defense already looking for the shooter. Mia slid to the top and Lascay found her, you could hear Memphis screaming shooter.

Mia said damn right and tickled nothing but twine. Forces a time out a 8-0 run to start leads to a forced Memphis time out.

8:00 3Q
Memphis 31
Tulsa 44

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa has some fouls called on them on defense. Couple bad offensive possesions and two threes that were a little too easy let's Memphis back in the lead. Chops the lead down to 7 with Tulsa at the free throw line shooting two. Memphis is trying to force to the post where they have the advantage Tulsa has switched over to a mostly effective 2-3 zone to counter. Game flow has changed some, really need to get an easy bucket or two for someone other than Mia to force Memphis to stay home more.

4:50 3Q
Memphis 39
Tulsa 46

 

[TU4ever2]

Mossman sending Biddle in, I am assuming for a little more length and better decision making. Solid shooter as well. With the zone it will help on defense as our Icelandic forward is in foul trouble. Now lewis picked up her third foul as well.

 

[TU4ever2]

Biddle makes a smart play right away that leads to a three. Bit more of a back and forth. Now though Memphis is definitely getting the ball inside on offense and causing Tulsa issues. Tulsa using strong help defense and team rebounding to keep them at bay.

2:36 3Q
Memphis 43
Tulsa 50

Tulsa looking out of rythm on offense

 

[TU4ever2]

Defense stepping up again. It leads to good offense. Evan's a freshman is really starting to show up on both ends. Game is slowing down. Tulsa widens lead, some tough in and out shots prevent it from growing anymore.

34.9 3Q
Memphis 43
Tulsa 55

 

[TU4ever2]

Mossman putting Biddle in is paying dividends in big ways. Good help on defense, great offense great decision making. Hit a three, has an assist, got fouled on a three. 7 points in nine minutes great production.

8.3 3Q
Memphis 43
Tulsa 57

 

[TU4ever2]

Bad decision by Wyvette puts Memphis on the line. First free throw is a make, second one is a miss, Memphis big grabs a rebound and puts it. Bad way to finish, but hopefully Mossman uses it to coach them up on that box out that was very solid all 3Q and to keep them focused. Tulsa has had some struggles in the 4Q this year. Some of that was they are inexperienced and some of it is they have played three really good teams in their six games who made pushes to expand their leads or to close gaps. Hopefully Tulsa learned from that and can put a push on to expand the game out of reach.

4Q
Memphis 46
Tulsa 57

Tulsa forces the 21st turnover versus Memphis to start the quarter.

 

[TU4ever2]

5-0 run for Memphis cuts it to 8, Tulsa gets a tough basket on an air ball rebound to push it back to doubles. Tulsa is sitting down on defense but struggling a bit with the bugs and rebounding.

 

[TU4ever2]

Biddle making good plays, makes a solid rebound, good break lead. Tulsa has gone cold shooting. Is struggling with foul trouble in their post. Memphis grinding the lead down.

5:35 4Q
Memphis 54
Tulsa 61

 

[TU4ever2]

Concerted effort to deny the Mayberrys, Tulsa has gone all perimeter on offense, need to get the ball in the paint. Lewis has four fouls, Lascay and Mia have both kind of faded from the game.

4:54 4Q
Memphis 56
Tulsa 61

 

[TU4ever2]

Mossman making moves.

Miss Biddle putting that work in, twice in a row forcing turnovers, gets a lay up.

Called a couple sets to get the offense in motion and force the defense to chase the Mayberrys.

Foul trouble still an issue.

2:41 4Q
Memphis 55
Tulsa 65

 

[TU1NNJ]

20 fouls on TU to 9 on UM before they start intentionally fouling!

 

[TU4ever2]

That foul trouble shows up in rebounding, two offensive boards leads to a 3 pt for Memphis. Tulsa offense looks good. Defense still solid.

1:38 4Q
Memphis 58
Tulsa 65

Tulsa ball.


Edited for a SPOILER ALERT. SORRY FOR IT BEING LATE.

 

[TU4ever2]

Wyvette shows off the handles, goes to make the easy pass and walks on a bobble.

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa will have to make free throws to win this and be smart with the ball.

1:12 4Q
Memphis 58
Tulsa 65

 

[TU4ever2]

Mayberry makes both free throws. Tulsa sits down on defense, stay in front of Memphis make them use clock force a time out.

51.9 4Q
Memphis 58
Tulsa 67

Play good defense and rebound and Tulsa will walk with the W after a couple made free throws.

 

[TU4ever2]

Mossman with a good time out. Tulsa makes a mistake on the inbounds, got an iffy call for an and one. Defense has fallen just ever so slightly and Memphis is dominating the boards.

29.0 4Q
Memphis 63
Tulsa 68

Tulsa turnover

 

[TU4ever2]

Memphis lay up.

Cuts it to 3, quick foul. Mia makes free throws, Memphis makes a tough 3 with hand in their face.

9.6 in 4Q
Memphis 70
Tulsa 68

Timeout to advance to the half court line. Wyvette fouled. Need to make free throws.

 

[TU4ever2]

Wyvette makes one of two.

Tulsa forces turn over on a tied up ball with the arrow.

3.8 in 4Q
Memphis 68
Tulsa 71

Tulsa gets it down to final second before fouled.

 

[TU4ever2]

Tulsa at the line

1.0 left in 4Q
Memphis 68
Tulsa 71

Wyvette at line

 

[TU4ever2]

Wyvette make a free throw. Game.

Memphis 68
Tulsa 72

Mia will be player of the game, career high 28 in points super solid all around game defense/offense. The key player to this win though, was Biddle, her defense, decision making and just all around swiss army like usability on the court paid off big. She has played like this before her injury last year. Hopefully she is back and knocked off the rust. Adding her off the bench to go with Evan's will give us seven players who can contribute offensively and defensively. We have a nice little group of three or four others who are capable role players who can spot in for minutes.

We need a little more interior play to keep teams honest. With this game and the last I again am reminded how hard it is for teams to learn how to win. I like the girls resilience and several have come from winning backgrounds at high school or other colleges. They seem to have figured out how to really play well now they have to get better at finishing.

Good job by the ladies, it was an entertaining game that turned out to be a little tighter than is should have been.

Tulsa back to .500 at 3-3. This stretch of games will be important, Tulane is probably as talented as UCF and Houston but are still putting it together and we have two games with ECU and the road game at Memphis. So its four games of comparable or lesser teams for the girls to start polishing their game up. It's a tough one next at a hectic Houston team that is pretty talented, but still learning to win when they are the favorite. High pressure is their normal style, so hopefully Lascay, Wyvette, and Mia come ready to protect the ball and Biddle can again be a nice calming force getting things done.