Dec. 6, 2000

Box Score

TUSCALOOSA, ALA. - The University of Memphis women's basketball dropped to 5-2 on the year after a 65-55 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide here Wednesday. Alabama improved to 7-0 on the year.

The Crimson Tide led all of the second half until Memphis managed to tie the score, 51-51, with 8:10 left on the clock. Bama's Beth Vice hit two three pointers to push the game further out of reach. In the last five minutes of the game, Alabama outscored Memphis 14-4.

"I think we played very scared and panicked tonight," said head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "We played very timid and no one really stepped up and took this team on their backs. I am not sure why we didn't have the intensity or fight in us. We just couldn't dig deep enough in to get this win."

Shannon Hamp led Memphis in scoring, tying her career high of 19 points off a 6-of-11 shooting effort from the field. Hamp hit seven of 11 shots from the free-throw line, and also totaled three rebounds. After missing nine of 12 free throws in the first half, the Lady Tigers improved in the second half, hitting all seven shots from the charity stripe. Malissa Bush and Tiffany Adkins were the only other two Lady Tigers to score in double digits with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Adkins missed a double-double by one rebound, leading Memphis on the boards with nine rebounds.

Memphis shot 33 percent from the field for the game and was just 1-of-9 from three-point land. Alabama hit 46 percent of their shots from the field and outrebounded Memphis, 44-36. The Lady Tigers managed to force 28 Alabama turnovers, scoring 22 points off the takeaways, as Bama scored 19 points off 21 Memphis turnovers.

Beth Vice led Alabama in scoring with 15 points off a 5-of-13 effort from the field. She was 3-of-7 from behind the arc. Shondra Johnson was the only other Alabama player in double figures with 11 points. LaNisha Cartwell and Sparkle Smith both led the Crimson Tide in rebounding with 11 boards apiece.

The Lady Tigers went to the lockerroom down by three, 34-31, at the half. Malissa Bush led the Lady Tigers in the first half with 10 points off a 5-of-12 shooting effort from the field. Tiffany Adkins dominated the boards in the first half, pulling down seven of the team's 18 rebounds. Alabama outrebounded Memphis, 26-18, to start the game. Memphis shot a miserable 25 percent (3-of-12) from the free-throw line in the half. Shannon Hamp scored the first two points of the game from the charity stripe and then various Lady Tigers missed nine straight free throws before Deanna Farr hit the second of her two-shot effort. Alabama was 9-of-11 from the line in the first half, and shot 46 percent from the field compared to Memphis' 36 percent shooting effort from the field.

The Lady Tigers will continue their month-long road swing when they travel to Little Rock, Ark., to take on UALR at Alltel Arena on Dec. 9. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. Memphis' next home game will not be until Dec. 29 when they host Tennessee Tech at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.