Memphis Tigers News Archives

February 2006

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02/28/06		Lady Tigers to Face Marshall in C-USA Opener -- Memphis looking to advance to the quarterfinals for a second consecutive year (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis is the No. 12 seed for the C-USA Championships, which begin on Thursday, Mar. 2nd. Memphis will play No. 5 seed Marshall in the second game of the day, following the No. 8 ECU vs. No. 9 UAB game. The winner of the Memphis/Marshall game will face Southern Miss in the quarterfinals. The game will be shown online on CSTV All-Access for fans who purchased the package earlier in the season. A special package will be available starting Feb. 28th for $19.95 and it will include 20 men's and women's tournament games. This includes every game except the two championship games. Log on to conferenceusa.com or cstv.com for more information. Tickets are available for the C-USA Women's Basketball Championships. A tournament pass costs $35. Against Marshall (14-13, 9-7 C-USA) This will be the third meeting between the two programs of the 2005-06 season. Marshall leads the overall series, 2-0, following a 65-52 win in Memphis and a 74-54 win in Huntington. Sikeetha Hall-Shephard leads Marshall with 15.1 ppg, while Modupe Ishola, a big player inside for the Thundering Herd, average 11.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. In the previous two games against Memphis, Reshundra Smiley has averaged 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and has posted four steals, while hitting 48.1 percent of her shots from the field. Howard Adds Another Double-Double Finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds, junior guard Ashley Howard posted her fourth double-double of the season in the loss to Rice. The 13-rebound effort was her ninth double-digit rebounding effort of the season, as well as a career-high, and her fourth in the last six games. She has also scored double-digit points in six of the last 10 games. Over the last six games, Howard is averaging 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Gorman a More Productive Part of Lady Tiger Offense Gresh Gorman led the team with five assists against Houston and has had a litte more success scoring in the last 10 games, where she is averaging 6.1 points per game. Gorman has gotten to the free-throw line for more than two attempts in eight of the last nine games. She also posted her first career block Sunday against Houston and is fifth on the team with 30 steals. She has started 24 consecutive games for Memphis and is averaging over 25 minutes a game despite playing through mono and her asthma. Butler Moves to Third All-Time in Threes Senior Tamika Butler passed Kelly Herron on the career three-point list, as she hit five threes against Houston. She is now third with 133 career threes. Memphis would have to get hot and run deep in the league championships if Butler is going to catch Kitty Allen for second all-time. Allen capped her career in 1997 with 152 threes. Bradley Battling Foul Troubles As the home schedule wound down, senior center Jamie Bradley found foul trouble, fouling out of both home games this weekend. On the season, the senior leads the team with 33 blocks, the highest single season total since Tamika Whitmore had 41 blocks in 1998-99. Necaise Carrying Heavy Scoring Load Junior guard Devin Necaise leads Memphis with 19 double-digit scoring games on the season, including eight of the last nine games. She has set new scoring career highs three different times this season, including 29 points at UAB, and is the lone Lady Tiger to start all 27 games this season. Just three times in conference play has she been held to single-digit points -- 7 against ECU, 7 against UCF and 6 against USM. She averages 15.2 ppg in C-USA games and has hit 37 of her 55 threes against league competition.

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02/28/06		Softball Rolls to Double-Header Sweep Over Grambling -- Kubesch perfect in game two, while Johnson tosses one-hitter in game one (GoTigersGo.com)
		GRAMBLING, La. - The Memphis softball team rolled to a double-header sweep over Grambling State University Tuesday afternoon, as the Tigers pounded out 39 hits on the day to claim 14-0 and 22-0 victories. Pitchers Jenna Kubesch and Nicki Johnson also posted tremendous efforts, with the two combining to face just one more than the minimum in the two games. Kubesh picked up a perfect-game in the second half of the twinbill, tossing five flawless innings, while striking out nine. Johnson was just one batter away from a perfect tilt of her own, as she gave up just one hit, while striking out ten in game one. Memphis got off to quick starts on offense in both games, taking six-run leads after two innings in both instances. The third frames however, were where the U of M really put Grambling away. Memphis plated seven runs on seven hits in the third inning of game one before exploding for 11 runs on 10 hits in the third inning of game two. Four Tigers logged five hits apiece on the day, with freshman Leila Dolfo leading the way. Dolfo finished the two games going 5-7 with two doubles, a triple and two homeruns, to go along with seven runs scored and 10 RBIs. In addition, Cara Stiles 5-6 with seven runs scored, Lindsey Pridgen was 5-7 with four doubles, and Kara Ross was 5-8 with four singles. Bridgette McNulty and Tori Gross also registered big days for the U of M, as McNulty was 4-9 with two homeruns, a triple and five RBIs and Gross was 4-5 with five RBIs. With the win, Memphis moves to 7-3 on the season. Johnson and Kubesch each picked up their third wins of the year, with Johnson moving to 3-0 and Kubesh to 3-1. The softball team will return to action Friday-Sunday, March 3-5 when it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the University of North Carolina tournament.

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02/28/06		Baseball Holds Off UT-Martin, 9-7 -- Tigers prepare for four-game road swing (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - UT-Martin (1-6) 103 010 200 - 7 13 2 Memphis (4-1) 221 210 01X - 9 11 2 Junior transfer Ben Grisham went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBI and then came on to record the save in two innings of work, as Memphis improved to 4-1 with a hard-fought 9-7 win over UT-Martin Tuesday evening at Nat Buring Stadium. After UT-Martin took a 1-0 lead in the first, Memphis retaliated with a combined four runs in the first two innings to take a 4-1 lead. The Tigers got back-to-back RBI-doubles in the first from Kyle Norrid and Adam Amar. Grisham followed a triple by K.K. Chalmers with a towering two-run blast to left in the second. Just when it looked as if the Tigers would open up a sizeable lead, the Skyhawks posted three runs in the third to knot the contest a 4-4. But the Tigers answered with two more runs in the fourth, on an RBI-single by Amar, to take the lead for good at 7-4. From that point on the Memphis staff struggled to hold off a UTM offense that posted 13 hits on the night. The Skyhawks cut the U of M advantage to two runs in the fifth and then posted a pair of tallies in the seventh to close the gap to one run, at 8-7. Memphis took advantage of a Skyhawk error to plate a run in the eight, before Grisham retired the side for his first collegiate save. Grisham fanned two and allowed just one hit in two innings of relief. Senior reliever Tim Senter (1-0) earned the win after tossing 2.1 innings. The righthander allowed two runs on four hits. Casey Estill took the loss for UT-Martin. Memphis will now hit the road for a four-game road trip that begins with a 3 p.m. matchup at Arkansas-Little Rock tomorrow.

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02/28/06		Five of Tigers' last seven foes are solid (Commercial Appeal)
		Whether it's some rich analyst on TV or some poor analyst with a blog, when people start explaining why the University of Memphis will falter in the NCAA Tournament, one reason is consistently mentioned. Conference USA. It's too soft and weak, therefore incapable of properly preparing a team to make a run in March. And while that argument may be somewhat valid, it's worth noting that because of the way the schedule breaks, the third-ranked Tigers (26-2, 12-0) won't head into the NCAA Tournament having played a string of opponents with RPI rankings in the 200s. Quite the opposite, actually. "I think it will be enough to get us ready because all these teams we are playing are good teams," said freshman Chris Douglas-Roberts. "UTEP was a good team. So is UAB. And we haven't played Houston yet, but we know they're really athletic like we are. So this (stretch) should be a good challenge for us, and it should help us improve." Consider that of the Tigers' final four regular-season games, three -- vs. UTEP last Wednesday, at UAB this Thursday and vs. Houston on Saturday -- will have come against teams with RPI rankings of 64 or better. Then in next week's C-USA Tournament, Memphis will open with a stinker before likely playing some combination of UTEP, Houston and UAB in the semifinals and finals, assuming there are no slip-ups. Add it up, and Memphis could have five of its final seven games against top-65-type opposition heading into the NCAA Tournament. Because of that, John Calipari isn't concerned, though it's doubtful he'd be anyway. "The Atlantic 10 was a very similar conference, top heavy when we were (at UMass), and they said the same things about us then," Calipari said. "Well, we went to three Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights and a Final Four, and each year they said the same things, that 'they're not going to be ready' and 'they won't be ready.' Well, we were ready. So in my opinion we'll be OK." Tofi's tough luck If you were surprised late Friday to hear the "sprained right knee" John Tofi suffered in last week's game at Memphis was actually a torn ACL, that's understandable. Tofi was surprised, too. According to UTEP coach Doc Sadler, an initial MRI on Tofi's knee was inconclusive. So when the senior went into surgery Friday, he fell asleep thinking he would just be scoped and thus capable of returning for next week's C-USA Tournament. "But once they got in there it ended up being a three-hour surgery," Sadler explained Monday. "He basically tore up everything." Even after surgery, Tofi was so heavily medicated that he was unable to understand the depths of his injury. So he didn't realize until Saturday morning that his UTEP career is over, this after averaging 13.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in 23 games this season. "He was very emotional, which is understandable," Sadler said. "John's put so much into this program. To have it end this way is very disappointing." 'The Season' starts tonight A film crew has been monitoring the Tigers for the past two weeks, and the results will air tonight at 11 on ESPN2. The show is called "The Season," and it's a one-hour behind-the-scenes look at the Memphis program that will focus, at least partly, on the team's trip to New Orleans for that recent 105-65 victory over Tulane. "We're definitely looking forward to watching it," said freshman Antonio Anderson. "It will give people a chance to see how we're living." The crew is still with the Tigers. Another episode featuring the team is tentatively scheduled to air March 10. Tip-ins Calipari confirmed Monday that next season's game at Gonzaga will be played late in the regular season to give both schools a break from league play, but more importantly a marquee national game to help prepare them for the NCAA Tournament. "I think it'll be Feb. 18," he said. "We're going to do that every year because it will be good for us and for Gonzaga." ... The United States Basketball Writers Association announced on Monday its 10 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Award, given annually to the nation's top player. On the list is the Tigers' Rodney Carney. He's joined by Maurice Ager (Michigan State), Dee Brown (Illinois), Randy Foye (Villanova), Mike Gansey (West Virginia), Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech), Adam Morrison (Gonzaga), J.J. Redick (Duke), P.J. Tucker (Texas) and Shelden Williams (Duke). That means Memphis has played this season against five of the other nine finalists. ... Only two C-USA teams are showing up on anybody's NCAA Tournament bracket projections. Memphis is a consensus No. 1 seed. UAB is typically considered an eight or a nine seed. To contact Gary Parrish, call 529-2365; E-mail: parrish@commercialappeal.com. Listen to Gary Parrish on The Chris Vernon Show Monday through Friday at 4:20 p.m. on ESPN AM-730. -------------------- GAME OF THE WEEK Memphis (26-2, 12-0) at UAB (20-5, 10-2) Thursday, 8:30 p.m.: Not to say this is a big deal in Birmingham, but the game has been sold out for weeks, and UAB's official athletic Web site actually has a clock counting down the seconds until tip-off. Beyond that, these are the only two C-USA teams with a legitimate shot of earning at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Memphis is playing for a No. 1 seed. UAB is playing for a guaranteed invitation. It should be fast and fun, if nothing else. STAT OF THE WEEK 20: Number of conference games UCF played last season in the Atlantic Sun. That's six more than the 14-game schedule C-USA presents. "It's gone by fast," said coach Kirk Speraw. "I feel like we ought to be playing another two or three weeks of league games." HE SAID IT SMU coach Jimmy Tubbs explaining how UAB senior and Northside High graduate Marvett McDonald -- named Monday as C-USA's Player of the Week -- was the main reason the Blazers edged the Mustangs over the weekend, 73-68. "The McDonald kid really went off. He had 39 points."

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02/28/06		Shakeup has Tigers back in 3 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact February 28, 2006 It's clear at this point that the University of Memphis' ranking has less to do with the Tigers and more to do with how other top teams fare. A week after moving down a spot despite a pair of dominating wins, the Tigers moved back up to third in Monday's Associated Press poll on the heels of two lackluster victories. And they didn't seem to care. "We're not really worried about the polls anymore," said freshman Shawne Williams. "We just want to go into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed." Like last time, the shakeup in this week's top five revolved around the outcome of a Villanova-Connecticut game. The Wildcats won the first meeting on Feb. 13 and consequently moved from fourth to second in last week's rankings while UConn dropped from first to third and Duke moved from second to first. That's what pushed Memphis from third to fourth. This week, Connecticut (25-2) beat Villanova (22-3), and by 14 points. So the byproduct featured UConn moving up to second just behind top-ranked Duke (27-1), and Villanova dropping from second to fourth. That's what allowed Memphis (26-2) to move from fourth to third despite struggling -- relatively, at least -- in a pair of double-digit wins over UTEP and Tulsa. "The rankings don't mean much now because the season is about over," said UofM freshman Antonio Anderson. "We're just trying to win these next two games and get to the conference tournament and get ready for the NCAA Tournament." The Tigers, who play at UAB (20-5) on Thursday, are 97 points behind UConn and 23 points ahead of Villanova in the rankings, and they received one first-place vote. Some previous Memphis opponents beyond Duke also in the poll are No. 5 Gonzaga (24-3), No. 6 Texas (24-4), No. 11 Tennessee (20-5) and No. 15 UCLA (22-6), meaning the Tigers are 3-2 against top-15 competition. Duke received 65 of 72 first-place votes from the national media panel, remained No. 1 for the second straight week and was one of four ACC schools in the poll. Among the ACC contingent is North Carolina (19-6), which has won five straight and eight of its past nine, a stretch good enough to allow the Tar Heels to make the biggest jump in this week's rankings. They went from 21st to 13th, and it's a solid accomplishment considering coach Roy Williams lost his top seven scorers from last season's national championship team, including four first-round NBA Draft picks in Marvin Williams, Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants. "We lost 91 percent of our scoring, and I believe 89 percent of our rebounding," Williams said Monday. "I didn't have any coach I could call and ask, 'What did you do?' (because nobody had ever gone through it). We've sort of been going by the seat of our pants." Williams credits the attitude of his players for the success. "It's the most unusual group, and it's a group that I'm just enjoying the heck out of," he said. "They accept what I'm saying and not how I'm saying it, or how ugly a face I'm making when I say it to them. They're a fun, fun group to coach." The Associated Press contributed to this report. -------------------- The AP top Five The Associated Press basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday and last week's rankings: Team — Record — Previous 1. Duke (65) — 27-1 — 1 2. Connecticut (6) — 25-2 — 3 3. Memphis (1) — 26-2 — 4 4. Villanova — 22-3 — 2 5. Gonzaga — 24-3 — 5

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02/28/06		Despite efforts, Tigers lose to Navy (Daily Helmsman)
		by Justin Kissell Sports Reporter February 28, 2006 Comebacks are an exciting part of baseball — especially if a late-game rally leads to a win. Over the weekend, the Tigers baseball team came back from three deficits to beat Oklahoma and Notre Dame before dropping the championship game of the Service Academies Classic to Navy on Sunday. “I’m happy for all the guys,” said head coach Daron Schoenrock. “All three games were different types of comebacks, but they were all exciting.” Against the Sooners on Friday, the Tigers (3-1) trailed 1-0 after a sacrifice fly by Joseph Hughes in the fifth inning. But Memphis freshman pitcher Scott McGregor kept the game tight against OU senior pitcher Daniel McCutchen. McGregor gave up just three hits over six innings while striking out three and allowing no earned runs. For his performance, he was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week. “It’s a pretty nice accomplishment,” he said. “I didn’t believe it at first because I just thought everybody was joking around with me.” Designated hitter Robbie Goss said the award is huge for the freshman, and the upperclassmen took notice. “To see him take that game under his control made him seem like a mature, upper-class pitcher out there,” Goss said. Senior Drew Jaudon finished the job against the Sooners, pitching three scoreless innings and striking out two. McGregor said it was a “statement weekend” for the team before they head off to play four of their next five games on the road. Goss went 6-for-12 in the three games, including hitting for two RBIs against Notre Dame. He was named to the All-Tournament team along with junior outfielder Will Petersen. “I was just up there at the plate trying to relax and hit it hard,” Goss said. “(Assistant coach Jerry Zulli) was preaching setting up early the whole game, so it was pretty cool to get on the (All-Tournament) team.” On Saturday, the Tigers trailed the Irish 5-0 before junior Adam Amar and Goss got Memphis on the board in the sixth inning. After tying the game 5-5 in the ninth on a double by Petersen, junior Bill Moss doubled to center in the 10th. Junior Joey Lieberman then made his first-ever Division I swing matter with a game-winning home run as a pinch hitter. “It was an exciting moment,” Schoenrock said. “He just attacked the first fastball with a good swing. “Pinch-hitting is one of the most difficult things in sports, too, since the pitcher usually has the advantage over a cold hitter.” Against the Midshipmen, however, the Tigers couldn’t finish with a win after yet another 5-0 comeback. Three total Memphis errors and a torrid five-run fourth inning put the Tigers in a hole just a bit too deep. The Tigers play at home today at 4 p.m. against UT-Martin before heading on the road for a four-game trip with a game against Arkansas-Little Rock and a three-game series with Nicholls State in Louisiana. “It’s going to be a challenging week with these road games,” Schoenrock said. “We’ll learn a lot more about them this week, but so far they’re doing great.”

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02/28/06		Memphis takes Tulsa (Daily Helmsman)
		by Matt Laurie Sports Editor February 28, 2006 In Memphis’ 78-67 win against Tulsa Saturday night, the Tigers learned a lot about themselves. They learned when it counts, they can make free throws. They learned Darius Washington and Shawne Williams are the go-to guys down the stretch. And they learned if they play their remaining opponents like they did against the Golden Hurricane, they will be on the short side of the scoreboard. The third-ranked Tigers (26-2 overall, 12-0 in Conference USA) used strong play down the stretch from freshman forward Shawne Williams and clutch free throws to beat Tulsa (10-15, 5-7) in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. Memphis first struggled against Tulsa’s defense, unable to build a lead of more than four for most of the half. “I have to give Doug (Wojcik, Tulsa coach) credit,” said coach John Calipari. “They seemed to want it more than we did.” Aside from a lack of intensity, free throws helped Tulsa stay close to Memphis, who has yet to lose a conference game this season. The Tigers were 9 of 15 from the line at the end of the first 20 minutes. A major difference in this game from Memphis’ previous 84-61 win in Tulsa was turnovers. In the Feb. 1 game, Memphis turned Tulsa over 24 times, leading to 34 points compared to only 11 turnovers by Tulsa contributing to nine Memphis points Saturday. “We didn’t turn them over,” said Calipari. A three-pointer by senior Rodney Carney gave the Tigers a five-point lead going into halftime. In the first 10 minutes of the second half neither team could get anything going. The largest lead for either team in an eight-minute stretch in the second half was four. Memphis finally made their free throws: 11 of 11. In a perfect example of the value of free shots, these points extended Memphis’ lead to double digits in the last minute of the game. Shawne Williams, lead scorer with 21 points and eight rebounds, carried the Tigers in the end, scoring seven points in the last six minutes. Also helping down the stretch was sophomore center Joey Dorsey, who tallied four rebounds, an assist and a steal in the last five minutes of the game on his way to a game-high 10 rebounds.

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02/27/06		Fortin-Simard in First After Second Round of All-American Golf Classic -- Tigers enter final round in fourth place (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 678-2444 HOUSTON, Texas - Sophomore Keven Fortin-Simard shot a 36-hole 8-under-par to lead all individuals after the second round at the All-American Golf Classic on Monday and help the University of Memphis men's golf team finish the day in fourth place. Fortin-Simard, who did not play in the Tigers first spring tournament earlier this month, scored an opening round 3-under 69 and then followed with a 5-under 67. The 67 matches a career low for the Roberval, Quebec native. Fortin-Simard is one stroke ahead of second place Daniel Willett of Jacksonville State and three strokes ahead of University of Houston's Zachbray. Houston, the tournament host, leads the tournament with a 10-under 566 36-hole total on the par 72, 7,220 yard course. The Tigers trail the Cougars by 18 strokes with a 584 score and are 11 strokes behind second place University of Colorado. Sophomore Ian Rochester carded a 1-over 145 and is tied for 14th while sophomore Robbie Greenwell shot a second round even-par to match a career low and is tied for 25th with a 4-over 148. Senior Mike Regenold is in 57th place and senior Clayton Ellis is tied for 59th. The Tigers conclude the three-round tournament on Tuesday. All-American Golf Classic Dates: 2/27-2/28, 2006 Round 2 Par-Yardage: 72-7220 4 Memphis, Univ. of 293 291 584 1 Keven Fortin-Simard 69 67 136 T14 Ian Rochester 72 73 145 T25 Robbie Greenwell 76 72 148 57 Mike Regenold 76 79 155 T59 Clayton Ellis 78 79 157

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02/27/06		Lady Tigers Begin Spring Schedule with Pair of Victories -- Memphis scores eight goals in wins over Ole Miss and Arkansas State (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 678-2444 MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's soccer team began its spring schedule with dominant wins against Ole Miss and Arkansas State in the GSC Fury College Challenge at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex on Saturday. The Lady Tigers defeated Ole Miss 3-0 to close out the day that began with a 5-1 victory over Arkansas State. Ole Miss is coming off a 2005 season that saw the team reach its third NCAA Tournament in four years and win its third SEC West title. "We are excited to walk away with two quality wins after facing two solid programs," said Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan. "We've changed some of our formations this spring, which has frustrated some of our players who are learning the new system. These two wins give our players confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed in this system." Junior Shoko Mikami led the Lady Tigers' attack in the first game against Arkansas State with two goals in the opening half to give Memphis a 2-1 lead. The U of M would then score three more goals in the second half to win, 5-1. Redshirt junior Nicky McLeod, sophomore Candace Halvorson and freshman Kylie Hayes each scored in the second half for Memphis. Hayes finished the game with four points off a goal and two assists. "Against Arkansas State, it was the first time our players stepped on the playing field to competitively play our new system," Monaghan said. "I'm pleased with the way the players adjusted to playing the different positions. Our defense was solid and the offense created lots of scoring opportunities." The Lady Tigers then shut out rival Ole Miss 3-0 with sophomore Asuka Kubota scoring the game-winner in the first half off a corner kick from sophomore Caroline Barrett. Memphis increased its lead with two more goals in the second half including Mikami's third goal of the day and freshman Emiko Schwab added her first goal of the spring. Barrett had two assists in the game and finished with three in the day and Hayes had her third assist of the day in the contest. "It's always a battle with Ole Miss," Monaghan said. "Whether it's a fall or spring game, it's always a great rivalry. I'm pleased to get the result we had from a quality program that had a lot of success last season." Memphis will play seven more games in its spring schedule on four different dates. The Lady Tigers will next play at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., on March 19 at 10 a.m. Other collegiate teams on the schedule include Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Columbia State and a yet to be determined college team. The U of M will also have exhibitions against the Region III ODP and Georgia ODP teams. "We have some good games scheduled for the spring that will prepare us for the fall," Monaghan said. "I'm pleased with the results we had this weekend and the amount of knowledge we gained about ourselves. We still have things we can improve, and we will continue to work on those things in the upcoming games." Arkansas State 1 0 -- 1 Memphis 2 3 -- 5 Shoko Mikami (Kylie Hayes) Shoko Mikami (Lindsey Joseph) Candace Halvorson (Caroline Barrett) Nicky McLeod (Kylie Hayes) Kylie Hayes (Nicky McLeod) Ole Miss 0 0 -- 0 Memphis 1 2 -- 3 Asuka Kubota (Caroline Barrett) Shoko Mikami (Kylie Hayes) Emiko Schwab (Caroline Barrett, Sarah MacGregor) 2006 Memphis Spring Schedule March 19 at University of Missouri Columbia, Mo. 10 a.m. March 25 at Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. TBA vs. Southern Miss Starkville, Miss. TBA April 2 vs. Region III ODP Decatur, Ala. TBA vs. College Team TBA Decatur, Ala. TBA April 9 vs. Columbus State Oxford, Miss. TBA vs. Georgia ODP Oxford, Miss. TBA

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02/27/06		Freshman Scott McGregor Named Conference USA's Pitcher of the Week -- Freshman recognized for solid outing in collegiate debut (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Freshman Scott McGregor has gotten his collegiate baseball career off to a fast start as he was tabbed the Pitcher of the Week for Conference USA the league office announced today. McGregor earns the Tigers' first Pitcher of the Week accolades since Derek Hankins picked up the honor three times in 2004. In his first-ever appearance, McGregor held a potent Oklahoma offense to just one unearned run on three hits, while striking out three in six innings. For his performance the freshman righthander was named to the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tournament team. "I'm very proud of Scott and the week he had," said head coach Daron Schoenrock. "We hope he will build from here and continue to develop to be a valuable member of our rotation." Memphis will return to the "Nat" on Tues., Feb. 28 when it plays host to UT-Martin. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

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02/27/06		Carney Named A Finalist For The Oscar Robertson Trophy -- The 6-foot-7 forward is a candidate for three National Player of the Year awards (GoTigersGo.com)
		ST. LOUIS, Mo. - University of Memphis senior Rodney Carney has been named a finalist for the 2006 Oscar Robertson Trophy, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced Monday. The Robertson Trophy is awarded to the nation's top men's college basketball player. Carney is one of 10 finalists for the honor and is joined on that list by Duke's J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison, Michigan State's Maurice Ager, Illinois' Dee Brown, Villanova's Randy Foye, West Virginia's Mike Gansey, Louisiana Tech's Paul Millsap and Texas' P.J. Tucker. Carney also is a candidate for two other National Player of the Year honors. He is a Wooden Award and Naismith Award mid-season top 30 candidate for both accolades. This year, Carney was named Conference USA Player of the Week three times, and was selected to the NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team. The Indianapolis, Ind., native leads the Tigers with an 18.0 scoring average and a 40.3 three-point field goal shooting percentage. He also leads the squad in treys made with 83, which is a school single-season record. Carney averages 4.2 boards per game and is shooting 44.3 percent from the floor. During the 2005-06 season, Carney has moved up the Memphis career scoring chart to the No. 5 spot with 1,768 points. He is in the No. 6 position on the Conference USA scoring list. In mid-January, the 6-foot-7 forward took over the top spot on the Tiger career three-pointers made list and now had 268 treys. Carney is No. 4 in C-USA history in three-pointers made. The Tigers (26-2, 12-0 C-USA) return to action Thursday, Mar. 2, when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., to play Conference USA rival UAB (20-5, 10-2 C-USA). Game time is 8:30 p.m. (CT). The game, which is sold out, is being televised by ESPN2.

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02/27/06		Lady Tigers end regular season with loss to Rice -- Memphis to face Marshall in C-USA tournament (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services February 27, 2006 Rice 72, Lady Tigers 56 Rice used a pair of 13-0 runs to hand the University of Memphis a 72-56 loss in Sunday's season finale at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Neither team scored in the first three minutes but the Owls eventually pulled away to a 27-12 lead at the 6:07 mark in the opening half. A Devin Necaise jumper and a pair of free-throws pulled Memphis (3-24, 1-15 Conference USA) to within 11 at 27-16, but Rice (15-12, 11-5) closed out the half on a 13-0 run, heading into the locker room up 40-18. Senior Tamika Butler and junior Ashley Howard each finished with 15 points for the Lady Tigers, with Howard tallying her fourth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds. Necaise finished with 13 points. Valeriya Berezhynska led Rice with 15 points, while Lauren Neaves added 12 points and 14 rebounds. The victory earned Rice the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in next week's C-USA Tournament in Dallas. The Lady Tigers will be the No. 12 seed and face fifth-seeded Marshall at 3:30 p.m. in Thursday's opening round.

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02/27/06		Tiger Notes: Baseball, Track, Softball (Commercial Appeal)
		Briefly: Tiger rally falls short against Navy The University of Memphis baseball team came back from a 5-0 deficit, but in the end was unable to complete the comeback, falling to Navy, 7-6, in the championship game of the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic on Sunday. It was the Tigers' first loss after a 3-0 start. "You have to give Navy credit," Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said. "They swung the bats well and deserved to win. I am anxious to see how our guys respond to their first loss." Navy broke a scoreless tie with a five-run fifth inning that was highlighted by a three-run homer over the right-center-field wall by Jared Munde. Munde, who garnered SASC MVP honors, was 1-for-5 with a run and three RBI. Memphis got two hits each from Jordan Tolliver, Adam Amar and Robbie Goss. Philip Utley (1-1) took the loss after giving up an unearned run in an inning of work. Joe Koessler (2-0) was the winner for Navy. colleges A day after finishing second and provisionally qualifying for NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw, University of Memphis's J.D. Erickson successfully defended his 2005 indoor shot put title at the C-USA Championships in Houston. Erickson won with a throw of 58 feet, 3.25 inches. The second-best performance for Memphis came from Brandon Winbush, who finished second in the long jump with a mark of 23-6. On the women's side, Daniele Riendeau and Susan King were the top performers for the U of M, combining to score 17 points. Riendeau finished third in the 3,000 meter run and sixth in the 5,000 meter run, While King finished second in the shot put. The U of M men placed fifth in the team competition with 61.50 points. UTEP won the men's competition with 167 points. The U of M women finished in ninth place with 28 points, with Houston totaling 141.50 points to take the team title. The University of Memphis softball team had its final game of Florida International's Golden Panther Invitational rained out. Based on pool play results the U of M took home runner-up honors for the second-consecutive tournament to kick off their inaugural campaign. Memphis players Leandra Hines and Bridgette McNulty were named to the All-Tournament Team.

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02/26/06		Memphis-Houston Game Date Is March 4 -- The game's tickets have an incorrect date printed on them (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's basketball game versus Houston is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 4 at 8:00 p.m. (CT). The game's tickets have Mar. 5 as the date of the contest, which is incorrect. The date was taken from an early schedule that had the error. The Tigers (26-2, 12-0 C-USA), ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, return to action Mar. 2 when they play at UAB (20-5, 10-2 C-USA). Game time is 8:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2. The Mar. 4 Memphis-Houston contest will be televised by CSTV. The game will be the Tigers' 2005-06 regular season finale. Memphis will hold Senior Day ceremonies prior to the game at approximately 7:50 p.m. (CT).

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02/26/06		Memphis Shooter Places First at GARC Championship -- Krissey Bahnsen takes air rifle title in GARC event (GoTigersGo.com)
		OXFORD, MISS. - University of Memphis shooter Krissey Bahnsen took the air rifle title at the Great American Rifle Conference championship hosted by Ole Miss this past weekend. Bahnsen, who was named honorable mention All-GARC in air rifle, shot 687 to take the top slot in air rifle. She finished just ahead of Ole Miss shooter Jennifer Lorenzen who placed second with a score of 686. Three Memphis shooters finished in the Top 15 in air rifle with Andrew Hahn placing ninth with a score of 680, and Katie Benjamin placing 10th, also with a 680. Brian Phillips was 11th with a 678, and Jessica Jasis was 23rd with a total of 579. Hahn placed seventh in both the smallbore and combined standings. He turned in a 584 total in smallbore to bring his aggregate total to 1167. Bahnsen used her impressive air score to also rank in the top 15 in the combined standings with an aggregate score of 1164. The Tigers as a team placed third in air rifle with a team total of 2336, which was just three points behind second-place finisher the U.S. Military Academy. Nebraska took the air title with a score of 2341. Memphis was fifth in smallbore and finished the event ranked fourth with an aggregate score of 4641.

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02/26/06		Rice Hands Memphis 72-56 Loss at Home -- Lady Tigers to face Marshall in C-USA tournament game, Thursday, at 3:30 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A pair of 13-0 runs and 10 team blocks helped Rice hand Memphis a 72-56 loss to end the regular season in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, Sunday. The win gives Rice the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye for the upcoming C-USA Championships in Dallas, while the loss means that Memphis will face No. 5 seed Marshall in the opening round of the league championships, Thursday, at 3:30 p.m. The two teams both struggled in scoring early in the game, as neither team scored in the first three minutes. The two foes would then play through three ties before Rice eventually pulled away to a 27-12 lead at the 6:07 mark in the opening half. A Devin Necaise jumper and a pair of free-throws pulled Memphis to 11 back at 27-16, but Rice closed out the half on a 13-0 run, heading into the locker room up 40-18. In the second half, Rice continued to work inside, extending its lead to 57-31 at the 10:54 mark. But back-to-back buckets from seniors Jamie Bradley and Tamika Butler on senior day started an 8-2 Memphis run that cut the lead to 59-38. The two teams then traded buckets for four possessions before a three and a field goal from Necaise started an 8-0 Memphis run that cut the deficit to 66-52 with 5:44 to play. But again, the Lady Tigers' seven man rotation ran out of energy for the bigger Owl team, as Rice pulled away to the final 72-56 score. Butler and junior Ashley Howard each finished with 15 points, with Howard tallying her fourth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds. Necaise finished with 13 points as all seven Lady Tigers who played scored and rebounded for a third straight game. Valeriya Berezhynska led Rice with 15 points, while Lauren Neaves added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Amber Cunningham and Samantha Stovall rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points and 10, respectively. With the No. 2 seed for the tournament, Rice will receive a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Houston/UTEP game, Friday, at 6 p.m. Memphis will receive the tournament's No. 12 seed and will face No. 5 seed Marshall, Thursday, at 3:30 p.m.

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02/26/06		Navy Outlasts Memphis Baseball, 7-6 in Service Academies Classic Title Game -- Tigers finish second in 18th annual SASC (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Navy (8-2-1) 000 500 011 - 7 12 2 Memphis (3-1) 000 103 110 - 6 10 3 Memphis came back from a 5-0 deficit, but in the end was unable to complete the comeback as the Tigers fell to Navy, 7-6, in the championship game of the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic. Memphis drops its first contest of the season after a 3-0 start and finishes as runners-up in the 2006 SASC. "You have to give Navy credit," said head coach Daron Schoenrock. "They swung the bats well and deserved to win. I am anxious to see how our guys respond to their first loss. Overall this was a great weekend and I'm excited about what our team can be." Navy broke a scoreless tie with a five-run fifth inning that was highlighted by a three-run homerun over the right centerfield wall by Jared Munde. Munde, who garnered SASC MVP honors, was 1-for-5 with a run and three RBI. Memphis began to chip away at the lead with an RBI-single by Adam Amar in the fourth inning. Three runs in the sixth cut the deficit to 5-4. Amar followed a walk by Kyle Norrid with a single and DH Robbie Goss came through with a single through the left side to start the rally. An RBI-single off the bat of K.K. Chalmers made it 5-3 and a run-scoring groundout by Ben Grisham cut the difference to one run. Memphis pulled even in the seventh when Will Petersen led off the frame with a single. Senior Jordan Tolliver followed with a bunt single that rolled along the third base foul line and into the bag for a single. Norrid reached on a fielding error to load the sacks for Amar, who came through with a sacrifice fly to center. Navy posted a two-out run in the eighth, and Memphis answered with the equalizer on an RBI-single through the left side by Cory Barton. The Midshipmen again produced the clutch-hit in the ninth as pinch hitter Jack Ferrick's two-out single to right drove home the eventual game-winning score. Thomas Hamilton led the Navy attack with a 4-for-5 outing. Michael Garcia also had multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Memphis got two hits each from Tolliver, Amar and Goss. For the first time this year, the Tigers were out hit, as Navy touched U of M pitching for 12 hits. However the Memphis defense did not help the cause, committing three errors that led to three unearned runs. Philip Utley (1-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up an unearned run in an inning of work. Joe Koessler (2-0) was the winner for Navy. Memphis will return to the "Nat" on Tues., Feb. 28 when it plays host to UT-Martin. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

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02/26/06		Softball Rained Out in Final Day of FIU Tourney -- Tigers finish runner-up; Hines and McNulty selected to All-Tournament Team (GoTigersGo.com)
		MIAMI, Fla. - The Memphis softball team had its final game(s) of Florida International's Golden Panther Invitational rained out on Sunday, as inclement weather entered the area and FIU was forced to cancel the final day of the tournament. Based on pool play results, however, the U of M took home runner-up honors for the second-consecutive tournament to kick off their inaugural campaign. Memphis players Leandra Hines and Bridgette McNulty were named to the All-Tournament Team after posting stellar efforts at the plate. Hines completed the four-game stretch going 5-11 with a run, a walk and a RBI to end with a .455 average. McNulty did a majority of her damage on the first day of the tournament when she was 4-7 with two homeruns, two doubles and seven RBIs in two Tiger wins. The junior finished the event 4-12, while obtaining a slugging percentage of 1.000. Memphis finished the tournament with a 2-2 mark to move to 5-3 on the season. The U of M will next be in action Friday-Sunday, March, 3-5, when it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the University of North Carolina Tournament.

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02/26/06		Williams says he ignores mock draft; NFL teams furtive (Commercial Appeal)
		By Zack McMillin Contact February 26, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS -- Next up for DeAngelo Williams is the pro day at the University of Memphis, at 11 a.m. on March 24. Like every prospect here, Williams says he will pay zero attention to mock drafts and any speculation about where he might be picked. Which players are telling the truth and which are fibbing is hard to ascertain. Discerning the truth will be a difficult proposition until the draft is finished. Coaches and general managers admit they play a cat-and-mouse game with media, prospects and other teams in order to hide their true intentions. "There's some," Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "I don't think you plot it or plan it, but you want to hide some of your intentions." This year, with the league's negotiations on a new collective bargaining unit still not settled, there is even more uncertainty. Gostkowski missing UofM kicker extraordinaire Stephen Gostkowski did not get invited to the combine despite his performance at the Senior Bowl and in a skills challenge in Miami that won him two big-screen TVs. Gostkowski has signed with Jimmy Sexton of Memphis-based sports agency Athletic Resource Management According to Thomas Olmsted, the punter from Troy who partnered with Gostkowski at the Senior Bowl, Gostkowski was much more impressive than any of the kickers he saw in Indy. "Oh, he's the best kicker in the country," Olmsted said. "He'd have been the best here. I tried to call him and tell him but I guess he's off playing baseball or something." Healing Vol Gerald Riggs Jr. actually had a podium all to himself when he appeared in the media room, although only a handful of reporters asked questions. That wasn't how the former Tennessee running back envisioned his draft combine experience, but an underachieving final season that ended with a nasty ankle injury has him hoping some team takes him, possibly on the second day because of the strong class of running backs. Riggs said he is still recuperating from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his ankle and hopes to be close to 100 percent for UT's pro day on March 15. "The biggest thing is getting in and getting a chance," Riggs said. "I just want to show I'm healthy enough to work out and still get myself in good position." Back to Indy? The combine's site, at the Convention Center, is right next door to the RCA Dome, host of this year's Final Four. Williams said he hopes he has occasion to return, soon. "Oh, if we make the Final Four," Williams said, "I'll be back here." Uninformed Because they are consumed with all things pro football, many of the NFL writers here often have only a surface knowledge of college football. It makes for some interesting questions, especially for players who do not come from Top 25 teams. Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler was exhibit A. One radio reporter, from New York, asked Cutler what happened to turn the light on for the last three games, obviously unaware that Cutler was preseason first-team All-SEC and the league's offensive player of the year. "Um, we started out 4-0," Cutler told the guy. His followup: "Should Vandy get out of the SEC?" Cutler's rebuke: "What do you mean? We did all right this year. We beat Arkansas (on the road), we got robbed at Florida. I mean we are getting it done. ... If you ask some of the teams in the SEC, they are not as fired up about playing us as they used to be in the past.'' Eli update Hard to believe Eli Manning is getting ready for only his third season as a pro. And, as New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin emphasized several times on Friday, just his second full season as a starting quarterback. "He'll be much more prepared mentally for what he has to face than he was this year," Coughlin said, adding that Manning is already spending a lot of time studying film. "It's all a process, and he's moving forward with it."

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02/26/06		Gritty Golden Hurricane plays U of M close before finally fading in stretch (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact February 26, 2006 The crowd seemed nervous. John Calipari looked nervous. But while Chris Douglas-Roberts knows it may appear otherwise, he swore afterward that he and his University of Memphis teammates never did get nervous Saturday night despite being on the verge of an upset that would've almost certainly ended any hope of a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. "Even though we're a young team, that's the best thing about us," Douglas-Roberts said. "We never get rattled because we're very confident in ourselves." Down the stretch it showed. And because of that trait -- plus a talent advantage that would not be overcome -- the fourth-ranked Tigers survived Tulsa's best effort and escaped with a 78-67 victory that was much closer than the final margin indicates. How much closer? Consider that the Golden Hurricane (10-15, 5-7) led 62-60 with less than six minutes remaining, which was good enough to have the announced crowd of 17,658 at FedExForum either eerily silent or strangely loud, depending on the circumstances. A Tiger free throw: silent. A Tulsa turnover: loud. The final six minutes were just like that, possession by possession, and the atmosphere didn't seem relieved or joyful until the Tigers (26-2, 12-0) were near the end of an 18-5 run that closed and put the contest away while ensuring Memphis will enter Thursday's game at UAB with its 15-game winning streak in tact. "I knew the crowd was anxious," Shawne Williams said. "They were just getting louder and louder at the end." Credit Williams as the reason. He got eight of the Tigers' 18 points in that final spurt while exploiting a mismatch inside and eliminating any doubt about whether down the stretch of close games that the instructions will be for Darius Washington to deliver the ball to the potential freshman All-American and let him try to prove he's as skilled and talented as most NBA scouts believe. First, Williams got by Bishop Wheatley, drew a foul and completed a three-point play that gave the Tigers a 63-62 lead with 5:42 remaining. Then roughly two minutes later he scored again in the post to push the advantage to 67-62. Then roughly three minutes after that he attacked the rim in transition, endured a foul from Darold Crow, made the layup and sank the free throw to complete another three-point play that put Memphis ahead, 76-65, with less than 30 seconds remaining. Just like that, all the tension was gone, and Williams had 21 points and eight rebounds to show for what was his best offensive performance since a 21-point, 14-rebound effort against Tennessee last month in which he also took over at the end of that close game and pushed Memphis to a victory. "Coach told the whole team about two months ago that at the end of every game if there is a clutch basket that needs to be made he's going to give the ball to me or Darius," Williams said. "He's made that understood. And (tonight) he saw the man couldn't stop me on the block, and so he told them to just keep throwing the ball to me and for me to just do what I do and just score the ball." Rodney Carney finished with 20 points and six rebounds, including a huge drive and dunk in the final three minutes that helped secure the win. Joey Dorsey added 10 rebounds and three blocks in 22 minutes for Memphis, which limited Tulsa to just nine field goals in the second half. "We played very well and really competed against Memphis," said Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik, whose team was aided by the Tigers only making 26-of-41 free throw attempts. "We fought hard all game, but in the end Memphis just had too much firepower." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

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02/26/06		Tigers fight off Irish for third straight win (Commercial Appeal)
		By David Healy Contact February 26, 2006 Who could blame the many Memphis Tiger fans who left USA Stadium in Millington early on Saturday evening? The weather was only getting colder and the baseball team they were rooting for was apparently coming back down to earth, on this night at the 18th Annual Service Academies Spring Classic. But little did they know. With the help of three errors, Memphis spotted Notre Dame five early runs, but fought back to finally tie it up in the ninth. The Tigers won it in the 10th when Memphis junior Joseph Lieberman, in his first career Tiger at-bat, drilled a two-run homer over the left field fence. Memphis held on in the bottom of the 10th, allowing just one run, to secure the 7-6 victory. "I was just sitting there freezing my butt off all night, when coach finally told me, 'Go grab a bat,'" Lieberman said. "I'll take my at-bats when I can get them." The Tigers, who finished last season 29 games under .500, have now won their first three games of the season. Next up for Memphis is Navy today at 11 a.m. at Nat Buring Stadium in the final day of the Classic. Memphis second-year coach Daron Schoenrock credited his team's depth for the comeback. He also credited his bullpen, which overcame the shaky start. Junior Lance Scoggins gave up three early runs in two innings of work. Senior Josh Langley replaced Scoggins and allowed no Irish runs in 51/3 innings. Memphis junior Philip Utley closed the game and was credited with the win. "I just told them to keep playing defense and keep fighting," Schoenrock said. Memphis junior rightfielder Ben Grisham ended the game by throwing out Notre Dame senior Matt Bransfield at second after Grisham had just missed a diving catch down the right field line.

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02/26/06		Lady Tigers today (Commercial Appeal)
		Rice (14-12, 10-5) at Memphis (3-23, 1-14) 2 p.m., WUMR-FM (91.7) Hoop scoop: It's Senior Day for Lady Tigers Jamie Bradley and Tamika Butler. Bradley, a junior college transfer, is in her second season as a Lady Tiger and became just the second Lady Tiger in six years to post 30 or more blocks in a season. Butler started the season as the team's only returning starter and four-year senior. She responded with her best season from the point. ... All Lady Tiger basketball alumni will receive free admission to today's game. ... The Conference USA Tournament starts Thursday in Dallas.

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02/25/06		Erickson Successfully Defends Shot Put Title on Day Two of C-USA Indoors -- Riendeau sets second school record, gets second scoring performance (GoTigersGo.com)
		HOUSTON, Texas - A day after finishing second and provisionally qualifying for NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw, J.D. Erickson successfully defended his 2005 indoor shot put title to post an even bigger performance on the second day of the C-USA Championships at Yeoman Fieldhouse in Houston. Erickson posted his winning toss with a mark of 58-03.25" (17.76m) on the first of his six efforts to take his second-career C-USA crown and provisionally qualify for the NCAA meet as well. On day one of the meet, Erickson finished runner-up in the weight with a mark of 63-10.50" (19.47m) to hit the provisional qualifying mark and also break the Tiger record for the event. The second-best performance for Memphis likely came from fellow Tiger Brandon Winbush, who missed a conference title of his own by just a quarter of an inch and finished second in the long jump with a mark of 23-06.00" (7.16m). Winbush added a seventh-place effort in the triple jump on day two with a leap of 44-04.00" (13.51m) to pick up a second scoring performance. On the women's side, Daniele Riendeau and Susan King were the top performers for the U of M, combining to score 17 points for the Lady Tigers. Riendeau picked up two top-eight showings and two school records for the meet. The junior logged a time of 9:47.70 to finish third in the 3000m and break her own record for the event a day after placing sixth in the 5000m with a school-record time of 17:46.09. King had a slightly sub-par effort in both the shot put and weight throw in her first C-USA meet, but still managed to pick up a runner-up showing in the shot. The League City, Texas native posted a toss of 47-09.00" (14.55m) to claim the second-place tally and eight points for the Lady Tigers. Sivan Aballi posted the next-best showing for the U of M women, as she placed third in the shot with a mark of 45-09.00" (13.94m). The only remaining Lady Tigers to score in the meet were Annette Uzoh and Nikole Jackson, who placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the weight throw with marks of 55-06.25" (16.92m) and 54-10.25" (16.59m). On the men's side, the U of M got several additional solid performances to supplement the efforts of Erickson and Winbush. Larry Harris and Amaechi Oselukwue posted two of the strongest showings for the Tigers, logging somewhat surprising performances in the 60m hurdles to pick up a total of 13 points. Harris, who was competing in the event for the first time at a C-USA meet, registered a personal-best time of 8.25s to finish second, while Oselukwue finished fourth in a time of 8.35s. Willie Green finished in the top-three in the 60m for the second-consecutive year, placing third in the event with a time of 6.81s, after finishing second in 2005. Memphis also got a solid showing from Daniel Bandy in the 60m, as he finished seventh with a time of 6.95s. Norbert Gulyas placed fifth in the shot with a toss of 51-04.50" (15.66m), after placing fifth in the weight throw with a mark of 49-07.00" (15.11m). The pair of top-eight showings marked the sixth and seventh times that the junior has scored at C-USA meets. Austin Hunter picked up his fourth-career scoring performance in the 400m, placing seventh in the event with a time of 49.06s. The men's 4x400m relay team placed sixth to add three additional points and round out the scoring for the Tigers. The Memphis men placed fifth in the team competition with a total of 61.50 points. UTEP won the men's competition with 167 points, while Houston finished second with 153 points. The U of M women finished in ninth place with 28 points, with Houston totaling 141.50 points to take the team title and Rice tallying 126 to finish second. A majority of the U of M squads will now have three weeks off before the beginning of the outdoor season. Erickson however, still has a shot to move on to the NCAA Indoor Championships, as he will have to wait and see if either or both of his provisional qualifying marks meet the standard for the NCAA meet.

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02/25/06		Joey Lieberman's 10th-inning Home Run Gives Tiger Baseball 7-6 Win over Notre Dame -- Memphis set to battle Navy for 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic title (GoTigersGo.com)
		MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Memphis (3-0) 000 003 101 2 - 7 12 3 Notre Dame (2-1) 122 000 000 1 - 6 7 1 Junior pinch-hitter Joey Lieberman made his first Division I at-bat a memorable one, lifting the first pitch he saw over the left centerfield wall to give Memphis a 7-6 10-inning win over Notre Dame, Saturday evening in the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic. Memphis improves to 3-0 on the year--its best start since 2001. The Tigers trailed 5-0 through five innings, but got offensive productive late in the game for the second consecutive outing. With the score knotted at 5-5, junior second baseman Bill Moss got the U of M 10th innings started with a double to the right centerfield gap. With two outs Lieberman stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter and wasted no time completing the Memphis comeback with the two-run blast. Memphis's bats were held silent until the sixth inning when they got on the board with three runs on an RBI groundout by Adam Amar, followed by a two-run single to center by Robbie Goss. The Tigers cut the deficit to 5-4 in the seventh when Ben Grisham doubled to the right field corner and came around to score on a single by Will Petersen. Petersen was not through for the night as he came to the plate with two outs in the top of the ninth with Memphis trailing by a run and Grisham on second base. Petersen lined an RBI-double to left centerfield to tie the game. Memphis struggled in nearly every facet of the game early on. The Tigers were shutout through five innings and committed three errors that helped the Irish jump out to the five-run cushion. Notre Dame scored a single run in the first, and followed with two tallies in the second and third frames each. UND cut the Tiger lead to one run, at 7-6, on a two-out single to right by Matt Bransfield. On the play, Memphis right fielder Grisham was unsuccessful in a sliding attempt to catch the shallow fly ball. However, he managed to collect the ball at throw Bransfield out at second to end the game. Philip Utley (1-0) picked up the win for Memphis after just 1.2 innings of work. Josh Langley was solid in relief of starter Lance Scoggins, holding the Irish scoreless in 5.1 innings. Petersen and Goss had three hits and two RBI each for the Tigers. Moss had two hits and scored two runs. Memphis out hit Notre Dame 12-7 The Tigers will host Navy to determine the Classic's champion. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. Due to the Naval Academy's travel constraints the game will be played at Nat Buring Stadium.

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02/25/06		No. 4 Memphis Rolls Past Tulsa, 78-67 -- Shawne Williams scored 21 points to lead the Tigers (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Shawne Williams scored 21 points, including nine during the game-deciding run over the final six minutes, to lead No. 4 Memphis to a 78-67 victory over Tulsa on Saturday. Tulsa stayed close until Williams began scoring inside as Memphis (26-2, 12-0 Conference USA) outscored the Golden Hurricane 18-3 down the stretch to win its 15th game in a row and earn at least a share of the conference title. The Tigers finally put Tulsa away with an 11-0 run, capped by a dunk from Rodney Carney, to give them some breathing room at 71-62 with 2 minutes left. Carney finished with 20 points, while Darius Washington scored 13 points for Memphis. Brett McDade led Tulsa (10-15, 5-7) with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Darold Crow scored 11 points. Ray Reese finished with 10 points. Tulsa, which lost 84-61 to Memphis at home earlier in the month, held a 62-60 lead when Reese connected on a pair of free throws with just under 6 minutes remaining. That's when the Memphis offense, which had struggled throughout, finally got going. The Golden Hurricane clogged the middle, cutting off penetration and forcing Memphis to shoot outside, and the plan worked. But Memphis began posting up Williams, who responded with a pair of inside baskets and a foul shot to start Memphis' final spurt. Tulsa stayed close through the first half by protecting the basketball and shooting 48 percent. The Golden Hurricane committed 24 turnovers in their first loss to Memphis, but made only seven in the first half on Saturday. There were seven ties and 16 lead changes in the first half, and a 3-pointer by Carney with 2 seconds left gave Memphis a 42-37 lead at the break. The Tigers may have built a lead earlier if not for a poor performance from the foul line where they hit 26 of 41 shots.

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02/25/06		Memphis Postgame Quotes -- No. 4/3 Tigers 78, Tulsa 67 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis Head Coach John Calipari "I have to give Doug (Wojcik) credit. They seemed to want it more than we did. For awhile there in the second half, we played not to lose instead of playing to win, which is the way we have played all year. We had a chance to lose the game, but we won it and we will move on. There are a bunch of games that you will play throughout the season, and you're not going to be great every night out. The problem is that we have had a couple (of games like that) back-to-back now. I just told them that if they play this way at UAB and with Houston, you will lose both games. That's a done deal." "We will have Monday and Tuesday practices. I told them that we need to get away from each other, so we're taking tomorrow off. Hopefully in those practices, we will right some wrongs and get some guys playing the way they need to be playing." Tulsa Head Coach Doug Wojcik "We played very well tonight and really competed against Memphis. I am very proud of our team. I thought Rodney Carney stepped up really big when he had to. The three he hit towards the end of the first half and the three when it was a two-point game late in the second half hurt us. He is the potential C-USA Player of the Year candidate, and he showed why right there." "Memphis really does dribble-drive well. We ended up switching four positions at the end of the game. We fought hard all game, but in the end Memphis had too much fire power. "As a team, we play defense well and our kids listen. Memphis did a poor job at the free throw line (26-41) and that really kept us in the game."

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02/25/06		Bradley and Butler To Make Final Lady Tiger Appearances in Elma Roane Fieldhouse -- Memphis looking to cap home season with win (GoTigersGo.com)
		Against Rice (14-12, 10-5 C-USA) This will be the third-ever meeting between the Owls of Rice and the Lady Tigers. Memphis won the last meeting with Rice in Memphis, 62-61, in 1999-2000, and lost a road game at Rice, 70-58. The Owls competed at the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic in 1999, falling to Memphis in the championship game. Rice was the C-USA pre-season favorite to win the league title, and returns the league's pre-season C-USA Player of the Year Lauren Neaves. Seniors Playing Last Home Game Sunday's game against Rice will mark the final home games for seniors Jamie Bradley and Tamika Butler. Bradley, a junior college transfer, is in her second season as a Lady Tiger and became just the second Lady Tiger in six years to post 30 or more blocks in a season. She has 31 blocks on the season. Tamika Butler started the season as the team's only returning starter and four-year senior. She responded with her best season from the point. She has a career-best 107 assists and has moved up to fifth on the career assist list with 366. She also ranks third with 132 career three-point field goals made. Memphis Runs Out of Gas Against Huston Playing with just seven players against Houston, the Lady Tigers carried their third half time lead of the season into the locker room, but could not weather the Cougars slashing perimeter players, as Houston went to the line 18 times and converted 14 tries. Memphis had two players foul out of that game, but got career nights out of a pair of Lady Tigers. Megan Gooch led all rebounder with a career-high 14 rebounds, while Gresh Gorman dished out a career-high five assists as all seven Lady Tigers scored and rebounded in the 70-62 loss. Butler Moves to Third All-Time in Threes Senior Tamika Butler passed Kelly Herron on the career three-point list, as she hit five threes against Houston. She is now third with 132 career threes. Memphis would have to get hot and run deep in the league championships if Butler is going to catch Kitty Allen for second all-time. Allen capped her career in 1997 with 152 threes. Two Lady Tigers Grab Double-Digit Rebounds For the first time this season, Memphis had two players with double-digit rebounds. Ashley Howard, battling first half foul trouble, still managed to finish with 10 rebounds, her eighth double-digit rebounding night of the year, while Megan Gooch added 14 rebounds, a career best. That double-digit rebounding performance was Gooch's third double-digit rebounding performance of the season. Lady Tiger Alumni Get in Free, Sunday Sunday will be Memphis' final home game and will also be Memphis' Alumni Night, where Lady Tiger basketball alumni will receive free admission.

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02/25/06		Offense Stymied as Memphis Drops Pair on Day Two of FIU Tourney -- Johnson and Kubesch combine for one-hitter in game two (GoTigersGo.com)
		Notre Dame (4-4) 100 012 0 - 4 5 1 Memphis (5-2) 000 001 0 - 1 6 2 Buffalo (2-1) 100 000 0 - 1 1 2 Memphis (5-3) 000 000 0 - 0 5 1 MIAMI, Fla. - Memphis found it very difficult to bring runs plateward Saturday in two games at the Florida International Golden Panther Tournament, as the U of M picked up 11 hits on the day, but saw the bats stymied with runners in scoring position. The Tigers plated just one run in losses to Notre Dame and Buffalo. On the pitching side, however, Memphis saw three solid performances, particularly in game two against Buffalo where Jenna Kubesch and Nicki Johnson combined for a one-hitter, while giving up just one unearned run. The lone Buffalo tally came off Kubesch in the top of the first when Bull leadoff hitter Mary Russel reached on an error, then scored on a base hit by pitcher Sophie Barstad. From there, Kubesch went three hitless, scoreless innings, striking out four and walking four before Johnson came in to relieve in the top of the fifth. Johnson then completed the remaining three innings, striking out two Irish batters to keep the Tigers within one. The Memphis offense was unable to capatilize though, despite putting runners on base in every inning but the first and seventh. The Tigers missed their best opportunity to get on the board when Leandra Hines was called out at the plate while attempting to score on a Leila Dolfo single to right field in the bottom of the third. Barstad allowed just two hits from that point on to preserve the 1-0 win for the Bulls. Hines was the only Tiger to have more than one hit in the game, as she went 2-3 with a pair of singles. The first game of the day was a similar story for the Tigers, with Notre Dame starting pitcher Heather Booth stifling the Tiger bats for a majority of the game. The lone Memphis run came in the bottom of the sixth, when Kara Ross knocked a two-out double to leftcenter and pinch runner Laura Mahoney scored on a two-out base hit by Kimmi Hayden. Prior to that, Memphis' only real chance to score came after a Dolfo double and a walk to Bridgette McNulty put runners on first and second with one out. Booth however, induced a Hayden strikeout and a Lindsey Pridgen groundout to work out of the inning. Notre Dame picked up a run in the first on three walks and a base hit, but Dolfo, who started the game on the mound, kept the Irish offense quiet for the next three innings before giving up a run in the top of the fifth to make the deficit 2-0. Notre Dame then scored two more in the sixth to make their lead 4-0 at the time. Dolfo worked the full seven innings in the circle, giving up five hits, and just two earned runs, while striking out two and walking four. Hines led the U of M at the plate in game one as well, going 2-3 with two singles, to give her a 4-6 effort with four singles on the day. Hayden was the only other Tiger to have more than one hit in the two games, as she went 2-6 with a pair of singles and the only Memphis RBI. With the two losses, Memphis falls to 5-3 on the season and 2-2 for the tournament. That mark is expected to make the Tigers either the two or three seed in Sunday's single-elimination championship round. That would mean that the U of M would square off with Buffalo at 1 p.m., with a win advancing them to the final game at 3 p.m.

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02/25/06		Erickson, Winbush Pick Up Runner-up Finishes on Day 1 of C-USA Indoors -- Gulyas places fifth in weight, while Riedeau sets school record in sixth-place finish in 5000m (GoTigersGo.com)
		HOUSTON, Texas - J.D. Erickson and Brandon Winbush each put up strong performances and grabbed a runner-up tally to lead Memphis on day one of the Conference USA Indoor Championships at the University of Houston's Yeoman Fieldhouse. Erickson posted a personal-best effort of 63-10.50" (19.47m) in the weight throw to finish in second place and log eight points. The mark also surpassed the NCAA provisional qualifying mark for the weight and broke Tiger record for the event, which was previously held by field events coach Kevin Robinson. Winbush finished a heart-breaking second place in the long jump, missing out on the event title by just a quarter of an inch. The junior equaled his season-best leap of 23-06.00" (7.16m) and finished runner-up to UTEP's Mickael Hanany with a mark of 23-06.25" (7.17m). Norbert Gulyas was the only other Tiger to score on the day, placing fifth in the weight throw a mark of 49-07.00 (15.11m) to pick up four points. On the women's side Daniele Riendeau clocked a time of 17:46.09 to finish sixth in the 5000m and register three points for the Lady Tigers. The time was also a new Lady Tiger record for the event, shattering the previous mark by nearly a minute. Annette Uzoh and Nikole Jackson finished sixth and seventh, respectively in the weight throw with tosses of 55-06.25" (16.92m) and 54-10.25" (16.72m to pick up a total of five points and round out the day-one scoring for the U of M women. Susan King just missed scoring in the weight, placing ninth with a throw of 54-04.75" (16.58m). Whitney Bolton equaled her school-record mark of 10-06.00" (3.20m) in the pole vault to tie for sixth fifth place, but was knocked out of scoring position based on number of attempts. The U of M men sit in sixth place with a total of 20 points after day one, while the women are in tenth place with 8 points. UTEP leads the men's team competition with 48 points, with Rice leading the women's race with 51 points. Several U of M athletes are in solid scoring position entering day two of the meet. Jason Morgan sits in great shape entering day two of the heptathlon, as the sophomore's total of 2,637 points leaves him in third place, just 104 points out of the lead. Two Memphis men advanced to the finals in the 60m dash, with Willie Green qualifying third in a time of 6.86s and Daniel Bandy qualifying fifth in a personal-best equaling time of 6.92s. Austin Hunter qualified for the 400m finals comfortably, finishing in 49.10s to clock the fifth-fastest time, while Larry Harris reached the finals in the 60m hurdles, qualifying fourth with a time of 8.51s. A number of U of M throwers, including Erickson and King, who both enter tomorrow's shot put atop the conference rankings, should also have a solid shot to score on the second day of the meet. Competition on day two of the C-USA Indoor Championships will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday morning with the completion of the heptathlon, while field events will resume at 11 a.m., with running events to follow at 1 p.m.

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02/25/06		For Williams, it's a game of inches (Commercial Appeal)
		By Zack McMillin Contact February 25, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS -- DeAngelo Williams may not be running in the workouts here at the 2006 NFL Scouting Combine, but it is an indisputable fact that his stock is rising. Literally. At the Senior Bowl last month, his was measured at 5-81/2 , or 11/2 inches shorter than his listed height in four years at the University of Memphis. After the NFL personnel measured Williams here, he received some good news. "They got me at 5-9, 214," Williams said, clearly pleased. "Five-nine, yeah." You grew? "No, I think they just shorted me down at the Senior Bowl," Williams said. "And then when they talked about it, they just said 5-8, and I was like, 'C'mon, give me my half.'" Williams and everyone else here knows that half-inch won't make much of a difference in where he is selected in April's NFL Draft. His performance in the physical and mental tests, in interviews with teams and in the extensive medical exams will have a much greater influence. Williams got a taste of the process at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last month, but with teams bringing caravans of personnel in buses and with the National Football Scouting Service conducting tests with numerous doctors and psychologists, it's on a whole new level. "Here they go deep down," Williams said. "It's like a deep massage." On Friday, Williams had a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call to go take his drug test. He expected it to be nonstop through 11 at night. "This is their measuring stick," Williams said. "This is what you have to go through to play at the next level." Williams also had this take on the scrutiny, drawing a laugh from the assembled media: "Whatever it takes to pay you less, they will do it." How much Williams gets paid will also depend on matters outside his control. If USC's LenDale White blazes a flat 4.4 40 on his pro day at USC on April 2, then catches every pass in sight, it could convince a team it wants a power back. Williams seems confident that he remains ahead of White and Minnesota's Laurence Mauroney, both of whom decided to forgo senior years at USC and Minnesota, respectively. "I'm not looking in the rearview mirror," Williams said. "I'm not looking for LenDale White to pass me or Mauroney to pass me. I tore my rearview mirror off a long time ago. I am chasing." Meaning, he is after Reggie Bush, the running back from USC most consider the likely No. 1 pick in the entire draft. Williams, meanwhile, is floating somewhere between 10 and 20 on many draft projections, with some starting to put White ahead of him. The day Williams has chosen to make his biggest statement is March 24, the pro day set for the University of Memphis. That's when he'll run the 40 and go through various football drills. "I gotta perform," Williams said. "I definitely gotta perform. My numbers got to be better or just as good (as his competition)." White, appearing several hours later in the media room, made it clear he believes he will go ahead of Williams. "In my heart," he said, "I feel like I will." Like Williams and Bush, White has decided not to run drills here. He weighed in at 238 pounds, or 15 pounds below his playing weight at the Rose Bowl. Um, LenDale, did you say 253 pounds? "Christmas and Thanksgiving," White said. "I ate the whole turkey and the whole pan of my mom's macaroni and cheese." Williams had just met White on Friday morning and would not be drawn into comparisons. "People say you don't need to make friends, you don't need to do this or that, but as soon as you get here you make friends with them," Williams said. "So it's hard to talk about another player. I know it's a lot of money involved, but you have certain mores and things involved that mean a lot more than money." Mauroney avoided comparisons, too. He is not running, either, because of a hamstring injury suffered in January. "We've got a lot of great backs coming out," Mauroney said. "Right now, it's no telling where I'll get picked." Williams has continued to play the role of awed and humble football player from Memphis, no matter his status. Whether he is still so awed and humbled this far into the process, it's an appearance that plays well in front of national media types encountering him for the first time. One of the standard questions here is, "How will the money and NFL change your life?" How Williams answered provided an indication of just how savvy he has become with the media. "A lot of people say it changes your lifestyle," Williams said, "but I'm a very conservative person. I'm still going to eat at Wendy's." Williams paused, just one beat, and picked back up: "I'm gonna still continue to eat at Burger King or McDonald's." He's keeping his options open, and his business sense showed again when he rejected the advances of the professional autograph hounds that lurk in the Convention Center hallways. With a smile. "People think you've got to come up here and it's all business," Williams said. "But you can take care of your business and have fun, too." -- Zack McMillin: 529-2564

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02/25/06		Intensity becoming a problem for Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact February 25, 2006 Stats indict, film convicts. That's one of John Calipari's favorite phrases, and it's been particularly noteworthy the latter part of this week while the University of Memphis coach has torn through a DVD of Wednesday's victory over UTEP. He's watched the film. It has convicted. The original charges were a lack of focus and intensity, and the Tigers have been found guilty on all counts. They aren't even appealing the verdict. "It was tough to watch," senior Rodney Carney said. "We saw how we weren't intense out there and not really focused. So even though we won, we still had a lot of bad stuff in that game." Which is why tonight's meeting with Tulsa (10-14, 5-6 Conference USA) should be interesting for the fourth-ranked Tigers (25-2, 11-0). Because when they take the court at FedExForum just after 7 p.m., Calipari will be looking for a different approach and effort-level, and if he doesn't see it early, then watch out ... and turn off those courtside microphones. "The guys I'm playing are the guys who are going to compete," Calipari said. "I don't care if it's a senior, our best freshman or whoever it is. It could be anybody. If you're not competing, you're sitting. That's basically what I've told them because I'm just trying to head this off before something happens that we can't afford to happen." Calipari's frustration and concern comes from seven previous trips to the NCAA Tournament, and his opinion that Sweet 16 games and everything going forward for high seeds typically come down to a precious few possessions. Consequently, a missed layup here and traveling call there can end a team's season prematurely, and what was once described as the best start in school history can end up being remembered as the biggest flop in school history quicker than you can say Drexel Dragons. That's why though the Tigers are in the middle of a 14-game winning streak and just a victory tonight from clinching at least a share of the Conference USA title, there are concerns that stem from that 66-56 win over UTEP that was, for the most part, lethargic. Why couldn't Memphis exploit the injury to John Tofi? Why couldn't Memphis establish a faster tempo? Why couldn't Memphis finish when it led by 17 points? Those are just three of the questions Calipari has asked. Best he can tell, the answers all lie in the same place. "We've got guys who don't understand because they've never played in that tournament," Calipari said. "But if you're not playing like it's an absolute war the entire time you're in there, then five possessions can cost you the game. Maybe not in the first round. Maybe not in the second round. But in the next round and the next round, they do. Five possessions make the ball game, and now you've just taken three off so it's anybody's ball game. Why would you do that? Why? Because you did it against UTEP. That's why." The disdain is tough to miss. But for what it's worth, the players seem aware of the issues and equally determined to correct them when they try to beat Tulsa for the second time this month and improve to 15-1 at home. "The biggest problem is our intensity level," said freshman Chris Douglas-Roberts, who is coming off a 17-point performance against UTEP. "We've been saying it this whole year, but Coach feels that we're going downhill now, and this is not a good time to be going downhill. The (NCAA) Tournament is coming, and there are teams with high intensity that can knock us off. So that's what we have to work on. We have high intensity in every practice, but we have to improve on it and (bring it) to the games." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365 -------------------- No. 4 Tigers vs. Tulsa When, where: Today, 7 p.m., at FedExForum TV, radio: WLMT (30), WMC-AM (790) Tickets: Available for $12 and $7

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02/25/06		No. 4 Tigers vs. Tulsa (Commercial Appeal)
		FedExForum, 7 p.m. TV, radio: WLMT (30), WMC-AM (790) Records: Memphis (25-2, 11-0); TULSA (10-14, 5-6) Series standing: Tulsa leads, 12-9. Latest line: Memphis by 24 Notables This is the second meeting this season between these two schools. In the first, played Feb. 1 in Tulsa, Darius Washington had 22 points and Rodney Carney added 19 to lead Memphis to an 84-61 win despite Tulsa shooting 46.5 percent from the field. ... Though it does trail in the all-time series, Memphis has won nine of the past 10 meetings after Tulsa won the first 11. ... A win tonight will push Memphis to 12-0 in Conference USA and in turn clinch no worse than a share of the league title. The only other teams that can finish with 12 league wins are UTEP and UAB. So a win tonight would also put the Tigers in position to next week earn their 13th league win and secure the outright league title and No. 1 seed in the C-USA Tournament when they play at UAB on Thursday. ... A Tiger victory will extend this winning streak to 15 games, which would rank third in school history. The longest Memphis winning streak ever is 20 games. It was set by the 1985-86 Tigers. The 1954-55 Tigers won 16 straight. ... Carney enters tonight's contest with 1,748 points in his career. That ranks fifth on the school's all-time scoring list. Forest Arnold is fourth with 1,854 career points. The top three are Keith Lee (2,408 points), Elliot Perry (2,209) and Larry Finch (1,869). ... Washington needs 69 more points to crack the 1,000-point barrier in just his sophomore season. When he does, he will be the 41st player in Tiger history to accomplish the feat. ... A win today would give Memphis its best 28-game mark in school history at 26-2. The 1984-85 and 1985-86 teams both were 25-3. Scouting the Tigers Memphis, coached by John Calipari, is ranked fourth in the nation and coming off Wednesday's 66-56 victory over UTEP. In that win, Chris Douglas-Roberts had a team-best 17 points. The Tigers have won 14 straight games and are 14-1 overall at home, with the lone loss coming to seventh-ranked Texas. Their only other defeat came to top-ranked Duke at New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 25. Memphis' CollegeRPI.com ranking is No. 5. The Tigers are 5-2 against top 50 teams, and 11-2 against the top 100. The top-50 wins were over Tennessee, Gonzaga, UCLA, Cincinnati and Alabama. Joey Dorsey is the team's leading rebounder. He's averaging 7.1 boards per game, though he's only grabbed a total of nine in the Tigers' past four games. The Tigers' 83.3 points per game average ranks fourth in the nation, behind Duke, Campbell and East Tennessee State. Sscouting the Golden Hurricane Tulsa, coached by Doug Wojcik, is unranked and coming off Wednesday's 73-56 victory over SMU. In that win, reserve guard Anthony Price made 7-of-8 field goals and finished with a team-best 15 points. He's now averaging 10.9 points per game, which ties for first on the team with Brett McDade (10.9 points and 2.8 assists per game). Tulsa has won three of its past four games and is 3-9 overall in road games. The three wins came at Northern Arizona, Texas Pan-American and SMU. The Golden Hurricane has lost at such places as Oral Roberts, Lamar, Cal State Northridge and Eastern Michigan. Tulsa's CollegeRPI.com ranking is No. 206. Seven of its 14 losses have come to teams outside the top 200, and none of the wins have come against teams ranked in the top 125. Charles Ramsdell is Tulsa's leading rebounder. He averages 6.5 boards per game, and is the only player on the roster who has started all 24 games for Tulsa, which ranks last in C-USA in offensive rebounding by averaging only 10.3 per contest. Key matchup: Darius Washington vs. Brett McDade McDade made easy work of penetrating on the Tigers when these two teams played on Feb. 1. The result was 12 free throw attempts (he made 11) that helped him finish with 18 points to go with six assists and two steals in 37 minutes. Of course, Memphis still won by 23 points, so it's not like it was a devastating performance. But if, say, Marcus Williams of Connecticut did the same thing to Memphis at some point next month, it would be. So that's why Washington needs to focus on being solid defensively and keep McDade from making plays, if only to prepare for situations further down the road. -- Gary Parrish

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02/25/06		Tiger's late shot dumps Sooners -- Memphis 2, Oklahoma 1 (Commercial Appeal)
		By David Healy Contact February 25, 2006 Memphis junior Adam Amar had to get ready early, so he did. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the score tied 1-1, the winning run was on second. Advertisement Amar dug into the batter's box and waited for the pitch from Oklahoma senior Daniel McCutchen, a right-handed fireballer who had dominated the Tiger batters for most of Friday night at the Service Academies Classic at Millington's USA Stadium. But this time, Amar said he was ready. He waited for it and crushed it, right over the centerfielder's head, and after junior Kyle Norrid touched home plate the Tigers (2-0) now had their second straight win over a premier program in less than four days. The Tigers can make it 3-for-3 today when they take on Notre Dame in the second day of the Classic at 4 p.m. "It was a slider," recalled the first baseman, who also had the Tigers other RBI with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. "He was throwing good all game, and I knew I had to be ready early." After defeating Alabama 2-0 on the road on Tuesday, Memphis' win over the Sooners (7-3) on Tuesday was another shot in the arm for a program yearning for optimism after last season's 13-42 record. And Memphis second-year coach Daron Schoenrock said the credit for this latest victory needed to go around, especially to his pitching staff that kept the Tigers in the game even after Oklahoma's McCutchen held the Memphis offense without a hit in the first six innings. "This was a great game for our guys to be in," Schoenrock said. "Our defense made some key plays, and you can't say enough about our pitching staff. Even facing a tremendous pitcher like the one they had, they still managed to do it." It was freshman pitcher Scott McGregor, making his first ever start, who kept the Tigers close early. While McCutchen, who had 10 strikeouts in his complete game, was mowing the Memphis batters down, McGregor was trusting in his defense as the Sooners hit one ground out after another. "I didn't really get nervous until the first pitch, and then the nerves came," said McGregor, from just outside of Cincinnati. "Their pitcher did a great job, and I was just trying to make them hit groundballs and let our defense make plays." The Tiger pitching didn't take a dropoff after McGregor left either, as senior Drew Jaudon pitched three shutout innings in relief. Before Amar's game winner, it looked like the Tigers may have just let their big chance slip away once Norrid hit a skyrocket right over the Sooner centerfielder, and Tiger shortstop Michael Murray was thrown out at third after he realized he couldn't get home. Oklahoma first-year coach Sonny Golloway said his team made some mental mistakes but he took his hat off to the Tigers. "I don't want to take anything away from what they did," he said. "They did a terrific job.

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02/24/06		Late-Innings Offense Powers Tiger Baseball to 2-1 Win Over Oklahoma -- Adam Amar drives in game-winning run in bottom of the ninth (GoTigersGo.com)
		Oklahoma (7-3) 000 010 000 - 1 4 0 Memphis (2-0) 000 000 101 - 2 7 2 Adam Amar drove home Kyle Norrid on a two-out single to centerfield in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel Memphis to a 2-1 comeback win over Oklahoma in the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic Friday evening. "This was another good win for us" said head coach Daron Schoenrock. "The key to the game was our ability to turn the double play to get Scott (McGregor) out of some early jams. The middle of our lineup struggled early, but came up big in the late stages of the game." In what proved to be an old-fashioned pitcher's dual between Tiger freshman Scott McGregor and Sooner senior Daniel McCutchen, Memphis used solid defense to hold the potent Oklahoma at bay through the first four innings. OU twice threatened to break the scoreless tie, but McGregor was able to induce a pair of double plays to work out of jams. McGregor struck out three, scattered three hits and allowed just one unearned run in his collegiate debut. McCutchen (2-2) took the loss, but was solid for Oklahoma, no-hitting the Tigers through six innings before a single to leftfield by Michael Murray. McCutchen fanned 10 in a losing effort for the second time this year. Murray led off the ninth with a single and Norrid followed with a double to centerfield. However Murray was picked off after making a wide turn at third, giving the Tigers two outs with Norrid on second. Amar stepped to the plate a drove the first pitch he saw to centerfield for the game-winner. After the two early scoring threats, Oklahoma got on the board in the fifth frame on a sacrifice fly to deep left centerfield by Joseph Hughes. The Tigers bounced back to score the equalizer in the seventh after Murray singled and advanced to second on Bill Moss' sacrifice bunt. Norrid singled to move him to third, and Amar drove him in with a sacrifice fly. "We fought hard the whole game," Amar said. "Our pitching and defense kept us in it early and when we needed timely hitting in the late innings, we got it." U of M reliever Drew Jaudon (1-0) earned the win after coming on in the seventh. The senior tossed held OU to just one hit and struck out two in three innings of relief. Norrid again had a solid night, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Murray also collected two hits and scored a run. Chuckie Caufield was only Oklahoma hitter to post multiple hits, finishing the night 2-for-4. The Sooners, who were held to just four hits, entered the night hitting .354 as a team. The Tigers will take on Notre Dame tomorrow at 4 p.m.

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02/24/06		Men's Tennis Snaps Six-Match Losing Streak -- Tigers also pick up first league win over ECU, Friday (GoTigersGo.com)
		ORLANDO, Fla. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team (3-6, 1-2 C-USA) snapped a six-match losing skid in a decisive 6-1 win over East Carolina, Friday. Memphis swept two doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead, and the No. 2 doubles match did not finish with the point already decided. Memphis then used straight set wins at No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 singles to close out their first league win of the season. Freshman Matt Brewer picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles, while the No. 19 ranked team of James Spence and Sam Withell downed the team of Ricardo Barone and Henrique Viana, 8-4, to improve to 6-1 on the season with their fourth consecutive victory. The Tigers will return home to host UT Martin, Tuesday, in one of just four matches to be played at home this year for the Tigers. Memphis will then depart on a West Coast road swing through Pacific, Oregon and No. 10 Washington next weekend. MEMPHIS 6, EAST CAROLINA 1 Singles Play No. 1 - Matt Brewer (UM) def. Henrique Viana (ECU); 6-3, 6-2 No. 2 - Michael Jetter (UM) def. Aleksey Kochetov (ECU); 6-4, 6-3 No. 3 - James Spence (UM) def. Ricardo Barone (ECU); 6-4, 6-2 No. 4 - Sam Withell (UM) def. Nick Rose (ECU); 6-3, 6-2 No. 5 - Brian Walters (ECU) def. Bryan Bankester (UM); 7-6 (4) 6-3 No. 6 - Garrison Pilant (UM) def. Mike Catalano (ECU); 6-2, 6-2 Doubles Play No. 1 - No. 19 Spence/Withell (UM) def. Barone/Viana (ECU); 8-4 No. 2 - Brewer/Putra (UM) def. Kochetov/Rose (ECU); DNF No. 3 - Jetter/Pilant (UM) def. Britton Steele/Walters (ECU); 8-2 Team Record: East Carolina (4-4, 0-1), Memphis (4-6, 1-2)

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02/24/06		Memphis Outlasts FIU to Win Pitcher's Dual -- Kubesh tosses complete-game shutout to pick up second victory (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis (5-1) 000 000 3 - 3 9 2 FIU (4-7) 000 000 0 - 0 2 2 MIAMI, Fla. - Runs were at a premium Friday night in Miami, as Memphis withstood a six-inning pitcher's dual and finally broke into the scoring column in the top of the seventh to outlast Florida International 3-0. On the mound, Jenna Kubesch tossed a complete-game shutout to push her mark to 2-0 on the season and give the Tigers a 2-0 mark in the Golden Panther Tournament. The U of M had the upper hand on FIU the entire night and had several opportunities to take control of the game, but saw the Golden Panthers thwart every effort. Memphis put at least two runners on base in the first, second and fifth innings, but solid FIU defense and several unlucky breaks kept the Tigers off the board. Just when it appeared the contest could be heading for extra innings, however, Memphis broke through with a three-run top of the seventh to break the scoreless tie. Leila Dolfo and Kara Ross each recorded one-out base hits, before an FIU wild pitch put runners at second and third for Bridgette McNulty. McNulty, who was 4-7 with two homeruns, two doubles and seven RBIs in two games on the day, then dealt the critical blow, doubling to leftcenter to plate Dolfo and Ross and put Memphis in front 2-0. Following a Kimmi Hayden single to put runners on the corners, Melissa Nance added an infield single to plate McNulty for the Tigers final run. Kubesh then shut the door on FIU in the bottom of the seventh to seal the victory. The junior posted a stellar effort on the mound, giving up just two hits and three walks, while striking out eight. The Memphis offense recorded nine hits off FIU pitchers Penny Eastman and Kerri Houck, with Nance and Cara Stiles each going 2-4 at the dish to lead the way. With the win, the Tigers move to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 thus far in the Golden Panther Invitational FIU falls to 4-7 for the year and 1-1 for the tournament, while Eastman, who took to loss, falls to 3-2 on the campaign. The U of M will return to action at 10 a.m. EST Saturday morning, squaring off with Notre Dame, before facing Buffalo at Noon.

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02/24/06		Women's Tennis Swept at Sam Houston State -- Kristin Noble splits first two sets before falling 6-2 in the third (GoTigersGo.com)
		HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS - It was a battle of the 2-2 teams and Memphis came up short, 7-0, at Sam Houston State, Friday. Battling the weather, the matches were played around rain showers, playing singles first so the match would at least be decided if the rains came. Memphis senior Kristin Noble was the lone Lady Tiger to go three sets, splitting a pair of 6-4 sets before falling 6-2 in the third, meaning the Lady Tigers did not score a point in the match. The Lady Tigers open league play Saturday at Houston at 10:30 before taking a week break in play before facing Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mar. 3rd. Sam Houston State University 7, Memphis 0 Singles: 1. Irina Sotnikova (SHSU) def. Andrea Feichtinger (MEM) 6-2, 6-0 2. Lata Assudani (SHSU) def. Brooke Cowie (MEM) 6-1, 7-5 3. Brooke Mills (SHSU) def. Kristin Noble (MEM) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 4. Emma McDougall (SHSU) def. Ekin Zafir (MEM) 6-2, 6-1 5. Peta Taylor (SHSU) def. Christina Wieser (MEM) 6-0, 6-2 6. Cristina Flores (SHSU) def. Alex Tjioe (MEM) 6-3, 6-2 Doubles: 1. Lata Assudani/Irina Sotnikova (SHSU) def. Brooke Cowie/Andrea Feichtinger(MEM) 8-1 2. Emma McDougall/Peta Taylor (SHSU) def. Kristin Noble/Ekin Zafir (MEM) 8-4 3. Lauren Janak/Brooke Mills (SHSU) def. Alex Tjioe/Christina Wieser (MEM) 8-4

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02/24/06		Lady Tigers Run Out of Gas Against Houston, 70-62 -- Butler leads all scorers with 22 points while Gooch adds a career-high 14 rebounds in the loss (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Playing with just seven players Friday night, the Memphis (3-23, 1-14) fell 70-62 in a shootout with Houston. Memphis was without second-leading scorer, Paris Leonard, who sat out the game for a violation of team rules. "Our girls played really hard tonight," Head Coach Blair Savage said. "We knew our bench would be short and that the rotation would be really important. I think in the second half, you saw how tired our legs were. We had a lot of shots hitting off the front of the rim and we were just not really fresh. Houston did a great job of penetrating and attacking the glass and getting to the free-throw line." Memphis jumped out to an early start, with junior Devin Necaise opening the game with a three. Memphis sprinted out to a 12-4 lead off the strength of two steals and four Cougar turnovers. The Lady Tigers stretched that lead to 20-10 when Houston used a 7-0 run to pull to 20-17 at the 10:42 mark. Senior Tamika Butler answered Houston's run with a pair of threes to put the Lady Tigers back up 26-17 before Houston used some jumpers off the drive to pull back to 28-24 at the 6:21 mark. Memphis was then whistled for fouls on consecutive trips down the floor, and Houston knocked down the free-throws to pull to 33-31 with 1:58 to play in the half. But sophomore Gresh Gorman drove the lane, drawing her own foul, knocking down both free-throws and sending Memphis to the locker room, up 35-31. Houston made the adjustment to taking advantage of its athleticism by driving the lane over the break and came out and forced a quick Memphis turnover and a pair of hurried shots. On the offensive end, Houston used a quick 4-0 run to tie the game at 35 all off a jumper from Emily Fryers. Gorman bounced back with a steal, which she dished out to a waiting Tamika Butler in three-point range. But again the Cougars quickly answered back, as Ryan Meyers got the bucket and one to again knot the score at 38 all. Butler fed Megan Gooch for a 40-38 lead, but on the defensive end, junior guard Ashley Howard picked up her fourth foul at the 16:06 mark, shortening an already shallow Lady Tiger bench. With Howard on the bench, a bulk of the responsibility for rebounding went to her teammates. Gooch responded, with a career-high 14 rebounds, including eight in the first half. But Houston answered with a 10-0 run, putting the Cougars up 54-47 with 9:47 to play, forcing Memphis to call a second timeout. Gooch ended the Lady Tiger scoring drought with a turnaround jumper in the lane, starting a 4-0 Memphis run that cut the deficit to 55-51 at the 7:33 mark. The physical intensity of the game then went up a notch when Tye Jackson was whistled for an offensive charge, and then a subsequent technical foul, ending her night with five fouls at the 6:46 mark. But Butler stepped to the line and hit one of two technical shots, missing an opportunity to sway the momentum back to the home bench. A Nakazi Glover jumper and a Sha'Ratta Hawkins three pulled Houston up 62-54. But Memphis was still not done. Butler hit a quick three to pull to 62-57, forcing Houston to call a timeout. Memphis turned up the pressure on the Cougar guards, resulting in an Ashley Howard steal which she turned into an assist when she found a wide open Devin Necaise for three after corralling an offensive rebound, making the score 65-62 with 51 seconds remaining. Memphis called a timeout to set up the team's strategy, which included fouling the Cougar guards. But Becky Gibson was up to the challenge, stepping to the line and hitting both free-throws to keep Memphis at bay and to help Houston cap the game with a 70-62 final score. "You have to give Gibson credit," Savage said. "Houston was last in the league in free-throw shooting and she was the one we wanted to foul and she just stepped to the line and hit her shots." Tamika Butler led all scorers with 22 points, including five shots from three-point range. Devin Necaise added 13 points, but struggling with 5-for-21 shooting. Both Lady Tiger guards played all 40 minutes of the game. Megan Gooch finished with a career-high 14 rebounds, adding five points, while Ashley Howard, who battled foul trouble all night, finished with 1- rebounds and six points. Nakazi Glover led Houston with 19 points, while Sha'Ratta Hawkins added 14 points. Emily Fryters fell just short of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Memphis will wrap up its 2005 regular season with a Sunday contest against Rice. That game will be the final home game for Lady Tiger seniors Jamie Bradley and Tamika Butler. Rice comes in off an 83-69 win and in a three-way fight for the No. 2 seed in the upcoming C-USA tournament.

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02/24/06		Seven-run First Propels Memphis Over St. John's -- McNulty paces offense with pair of homeruns and five RBI (GoTigersGo.com)
		St. John's (1-3) 200 001 0 - 3 4 2 Memphis (4-1) 700 110 x - 9 13 2 MIAMI, Fla. - The Memphis softball team used a seven-run first inning to take an early lead over St. John's, then cruised the rest of the way to a 9-2 victory in their first game of the Golden Panther Tournament. Junior Bridgette McNulty had a huge game at the plate, going 3-3 with two homeruns, a double and five RBIs to lead the U of M bats. Memphis got off to a tough start in the top of the first as St. John's loaded the bases on an error and a hit batter and a walk by starting pitcher Nicki Johnson. The Red Storm then scored two runs on an error by McNulty, before Johnson ended the threat with a pair of strikeouts. The Tigers however, bounced right back in the bottom half of the first, plating seven runs on eight hits. Right-fielder Leila Dolfo got the offense started with a one-out double to rightcenter before first-baseman Kara Ross singled up the middle to put runners at the corners. McNulty then jacked a three-run bomb to leftcenter to put Memphis up 3-2. From there, Kimmi Hayden doubled, Jenna Kubesch walked and Lindsey Pridgen singled and Memphis added four more runs on RBI singles by Leandra Hines and Cara Stiles and a two-RBI single by Dolfo. Johnson silenced the Lady Storm bats for the next four innings to keep the lead at 7-2 going into the bottom of the fourth. McNulty then picked up her second round-tripper of the day with a solo blast to left, giving the Tigers a six-run advantage. The Tiger third-basemen followed that up in the fifth by driving home pinch-runner Kristen Chrestman with a double to rightcenter to plate the Tigers' final run. St. John's picked up a run in the top of the sixth on a solo shot by first-baseman Lauren Lupinetti to cut the lead to 9-3, but they would threaten no more. Johnson shut the Red Storm down from there to claim the complete-game win and move her record to 2-1 on the season. The junior allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits, while striking out four and walking just one. Dolfo, Stiles, Ross, and Pridgen each had two hits for the U of M, with Dolfo adding two RBIs and Stiles and Hines logging one apiece. With the win, the Tigers move to 4-1 on the season. They will return to action later this evening when they face tournament host Florida International in the second game of the FIU Tournament.

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02/24/06		National media to huddle with DeAngelo today (Commercial Appeal)
		By Zack McMillin Contact February 24, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS -- For DeAngelo Williams, today is the most important day of his brief stay at the 2006 NFL Scouting Combine. On Thursday, he visited the hospital for his physical and various X-rays. He also performed a test used to measure the power in his legs. And he interviewed, from 8 to 11 local time, with various teams. Williams also will hold court with the media, which is truly national in nature. While some NFL writers from a few cities attended the Senior Bowl in Mobile last month and got a taste of Williams' media-savvy persona, most will be encountering him for the first time. Because of the quirks of alphabetization, Williams also avoided sharing the media spotlight with USC's Reggie Bush, the presumed No. 1 pick who visited the media room on Thursday. He will, however, be grouped with Bush's USC teammate, LenDale White, who is generally considered the primary challenger to Williams to be the second running back selected. Talent matters Even if you hadn't seen a Southeastern Conference football game the last two seasons, you could have a pretty good idea which teams have been dominant by looking at the number of players invited to the combine. Georgia, the 2005 SEC champs, has eight players here. Auburn, the 2004 SEC champs, has nine. LSU, the 2003 national champs, has seven. As Volunteer fans well know, the one aberration to this trend is Tennessee, which has more players at the combine (seven) than they had wins (five) this past season. Really, it matters Bush and White will both go in the first round, with Bush the likely first pick. Both set records sharing the backfield at USC. That may have had something to do with, in this year's combine, four of their offensive lineman being here at the combine. Bills GM still likes Moulds Buffalo Bills general manager Marv Levy said he hopes the team is able to work out a deal to restructure the contract of veteran and former Mississippi State wide receiver Eric Moulds to stay with the team. "We have had a very fine relationship with him and have a great regard for him," Levy said. "He's a rather quiet, sensitive guy. I think Eric has a lot left." Appetizing chore The Florida media peppered Auburn offensive tackle Marcus McNeill with questions about Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Carnell Williams and Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, whom McNeill blocked for at Auburn. Who would he prefer to block for? "That's like asking me is it better to eat a cheeseburger or french fries," McNeill said. "I think they owe me a lot of money and I ain't seen a check yet."

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02/24/06		Traveling calls slowing Tigers -- Team being more cautious, but it's hard to keep speed in check (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact February 24, 2006 The term is dribble-drive, and it's structured that way for a reason, specifically because you have to dribble before you drive. Otherwise, the officials will blow their whistles, call traveling and give the ball to the other team. Just like last game. And the game before that. And the one before that, too. "I don't know what it is," said Andre Allen, one of the University of Memphis' recent walking offenders. "I guess we're moving too quick for them." That's one theory, and perhaps it's true. But no matter the reason, there is a trend developing that involves the fourth-ranked Tigers (25-2, 11-0 Conference USA) being whistled for an unusual amount of traveling calls, which is the equivalent of taking the ball and throwing a slider into the sixth row. Either way, it's a turnover. So unless officials are going to ease up on the traveling calls sometime soon, Memphis needs to adjust accordingly, and take that first step with an increased bit of caution starting today at the Finch Center when the Tigers return to practice for the first time since Wednesday's 66-56 win over UTEP in preparation for Saturday's game with Tulsa (10-14, 5-6) at FedExForum. "I know when I'm being called for traveling, I don't think I'm traveling every time," said Shawne Williams. "Some of them are travels, but some of them are not. "But I think it's just because (my first step) is so quick and swift, you know?" Possible recruits For you recruiting nuts out there, it's worth noting that the Tigers' early pursuit of Class of 2007 prospects seems to be going well. Of Scout.com's Top 40 players, at least four are mentioning Memphis as a possibility. They are: Illinois point guard Derrick Rose (No. 5), Pennsylvania power forward Herb Pope (No. 9), Ohio power forward Alex Tyus (No. 34) and New York small forward Devin Ebanks (No. 38). On a local note, Raleigh-Egypt High point guard Maurice Miller is also strongly considering the Tigers. He's rated as the 82nd-best prospect in the country, according to Rivals.com. Memphis already has one Class of 2007 commitment. He's Will Bogan, a 6-10, 290-pound center from Missouri who is playing his first year of high school basketball. Tiger tip-ins As for a Class of 2006 addition, Tyler Smith remains a possibility. He's a 6-7 wing at Hargrave Military Academy and will reportedly choose between Memphis, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Iowa during the late signing period. ... With their win over UTEP, the Tigers are now 21-0 against teams with RPI rankings outside the top 25, which is the best such record in the nation. Only Connecticut has also not lost to a team with an RPI ranking outside the top 25. ... Memphis came in at No. 4 in ESPN.com's Power Rankings released Thursday. Of the eight "experts" who voted, nobody had the Tigers lower than fifth. Dick Vitale had them second, behind Duke. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

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02/24/06		Tigers upbeat but cautious entering Classic (Commercial Appeal)
		By David Healy Contact February 24, 2006 Cautiously optimistic. That's the stance the University of Memphis baseball team is taking as it heads into play this weekend at the Service Academy Spring Classic at USA Stadium in Millington. The Tigers begin the Classic today at 4 p.m. against Oklahoma. The optimism comes from just one win, but what a win it was. The Tigers, who finished last year 13-42, went to Tuscaloosa on Tuesday and opened their season with a 2-0 victory over Alabama that gave the Crimson Tide its first home shutout loss since 1995. Memphis second-year coach Daron Schoenrock didn't want to downplay the win, but warned not to read too much into it. "It was great to go down there and pull out a win, but it's still way too early," said Schoenrock. Memphis will have its next big challenge today against the Sooners (7-2) and their ace Dani