Champ Central
Postgame interviews with Memphis head coach Melissa McFerrin and Jamirah Shutes
UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The opening day of The American's 2019 Women's Basketball Championship ended with a bang, as No. 11 seed Memphis overcame a 19-point deficit in a 59-58 thriller over No. 6 seed Temple. The deficit was the largest overcome in The American's tournament history, besting the previous record from 2018 when UCF beat Temple after trailing by as many as 15.
The Tigers outscored the Owls 28-12 in the fourth quarter en route to picking up their second win in American Athletic Conference tournament history. Becoming the first team in conference history to win as an 11 seed, Memphis advances to take on No. 3 seed Cincinnati at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN3.
Memphis freshman Jamirah Shutes hit two three pointers in the final 3:14 of the game, including the game-winner with less than two minutes left to play. She ended the night with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gazmyne Herndon led the way for the Tigers with 15 points and added seven rebounds.
Down 46-31 in the fourth quarter, Memphis rallied from behind, using a 14-2 run capped by a three-pointer from Ashia Jones to get within single digits (52-45). After Temple's Shantay Taylor got to the rim for a layup, Jones hit a second-consecutive trey with 3:46 left on the clock that sparked a second 14-2 run. Memphis tied the game at 56-56 with a layup from Herndon before taking its first and final lead of the game on Shutes' second trey of the night.
Temple shot 44 percent from the floor and jumped out to an early 17-5 lead, ending the opening quarter on an 11-0 run with Alliya Butts and Taylor combining for nine points over the final 4:49. The Owls forced three turnovers and held Memphis scoreless through the last five minutes.
Temple led by as many as 19 points (26-7) in the second quarter, but Memphis battled back, outscoring the Owls 12-11 with a 6-0 run to end the frame. The Tigers kept the Owls off the board for the final 2:50, but Temple took an 11-point lead into the locker room at halftime (28-17).
Both teams shot well to start the second half, as Memphis used a 5-0 run capped by an Alana Davis layup to get within single digits (34-26). The Tigers closed the gap to seven points after Jada Stinson drained a trey, but Temple refused to relinquish the lead. The Owls closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run, stretching out to a 46-31 lead to enter the fourth. The Tigers then rallied in the final frame to complete a historic come-from-behind win.
After starting conference play 0-5, the Owls went 7-5 in their last 12 games to conclude their season. Three Temple players reached double-digit scoring, including Taylor, who ended the game with a double-double of 16 points and 14 points. Mia Davis ended the night with 14 points, while
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For more information on and continuing coverage of the American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship, please visit Championship Central at www.theamerican.org/wbb.