The University of Memphis women's basketball team dropped their seventh straight game in a loss to the 18th-ranked Lady Vols in FedEx Forum.
The Tigers made the Lady Vols sweat for three quarters, but it was not enough to take down the star-studded squad from East Tennessee.
Michigan State transfer guard DeeDee Hagemann made her Memphis debut for the Tigers on the big stage at the FedEx Forum.
Memphis head coach Alex Simmons won two national titles as a Lady Vol.
First Half
At the first media timeout, the Tigers took a 12-9 lead thanks to a quick 8 point burst by Tilly Boler.
Tennesee head coach Kim Caldwell took to an interesting strategy early in the game. 10 different Lady Vols saw action in the first four minutes of the contest. Caldwell's quick rotaton's persisted throughout the game. As I was seated right behind the scores table, it felt as if there was a Lady Vol checking in (or out) at every dead ball.
Hagemann's first bucket of her Memphis Tiger career was a tough and one to give her squad a 15-9 lead.
After the first quarter, the TIgers trailed 21-22.
Memphis' 11-0 run in the middle of the second quarter wasn't enough to regain the lead at the half as the Lady Vols led 42-41.
Second Half:
The Lady Vols started the second half with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 49-41 lead and won the third period 27-13.
The Tigers' tough shot making faded in quarter three, as they scored only 13 points in the third quarter after scoring at least 20 in the previous two.
To start the fourth quarter, the Tigers used a 7-0 run to make it a single-digit score.
But the Lady Vols' size and depth would be Memphis' downfall as the Tigers fell 90-75.
With the third quarter marked by a 14 point deficit for the Tigers, Memphis was competitive in quarters one, two, and four.
Despite the loss, this wasHagemann's successful debut showed her elite scoring and playmaking abilities as the Tigers finally have a true point guard.
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell noted that Memphis outplayed her squad: "They played harder than us...Credit to them."
She also noted how frustrated with her team's lack of forced turnovers: "We didn't do a good job executing our press." While Caldwell blames her team, I credit Hagemann.
Hagemann: "It was depressing, I'm not gonna lie. It was hard being on the sidelines...Now I'm here. We back."
Reach Rivals contributor Sam Shoemaker on X @s_shoemaker52 or email sjshmker@memphis.edu
