Dec. 16, 2011
GameDay Central
Media Guide
QUEENS, N.Y. - Louisiana Tech opens the 2011 St. John's Chartwell Holiday Classic Saturday at 2 p.m. CT against the Memphis Tigers at Carnesecca Arena.
The contest can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on ESPN 97.7 FM and KTKC 92.9 FM with the pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. Tech fans can also listen to the game via the internet by purchasing a subscription to LA Tech All-Access at www.latechsports.com.
Host St. John's faces Prairie View A&M in the first game of the two-day event with the two winners squaring off in the championship game on Sunday while the two losers will play in the consolation contest.
The Lady Techsters (5-6) put their three-game winning streak on the line against a Memphis team that is 8-1 on the year with their lone loss coming at Illinois 62-54. The Tigers enter the contest winners of six straight games.
Tech is coming off a 69-59 win over Arkansas State Tuesday, a victory that looks even more impressive after the Red Wolves downed Southern California two nights later.
Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon's team has recorded three straight wins with victories over Houston, Mississippi State and Arkansas State. During the three-game winning streak, Tech's reserves have played a huge role in the success scoring 111 points - 11 more than the Tech starters (100).
Tech continues to rely on a balanced offensive attack that has seen seven different players lead the team in scoring in 11 games. Jasmine Bendolph (12.3 ppg, 4.8 apg) leads a group of eight players that are averaging at least five points followed by Shantale Bramble-Donaldson (9.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Kiara Young (9.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Whitney Jones (8.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg).
Defensively, Tech has improved in recent weeks. After allowing four of its first five opponents to score 70 or more points, it has held all six of its latest opponents under that mark, including the last three to 62 points or fewer.
Memphis is one of the top offensive teams in the country as the Tigers are averaging 77.9 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field. Memphis has also done a good job of taking care of the basketball this season, recording 155 assists to only 138 turnovers.
Senior guard Brittany Carter (17.6 ppg, 2.8 spg) is one of four Tigers averaging in double figures along with senior forward Jasmine Lee (14.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg), junior forward Nicole Dickson (13.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg) and senior guard Ramses Lonlack (10.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg).
Memphis has played seven of its first nine games at home this season. The only common opponent for the two programs has been UALR which the Tigers defeated 81-66 and the Techsters defeated 64-48.
Tech leads the all-time series against Memphis 8-2, including an 86-76 win at the Thomas Assembly Center in 2009-10.
