Feb. 8, 2008
Note: The following is the second of a bi-weekly series of articles leading up to the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament to be hosted by UCF at the New UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla., March 6-9.
March, 1999
Heading into the 1998-99 season, Memphis had established itself as somewhat of a dynasty in Conference USA women's basketball. In the previous three years of the league's existence, the Lady Tigers captured either the conference's regular season or tournament crown, including winning both in the 1997-98 campaign.
The year proved to be somewhat of a roller coaster for the Lady Tigers, under the direction of Joye Lee-McNelis. The Knights lost in the second round of the Conference USA Tournament after finishing second in the National Division with a 10-6 league mark. At that time, C-USA still used a divisional format, which ceased following the 2000-01 season.
The Lady Tigers headed back to Memphis from New Orleans, site of the league tournament, with a 19-9 overall record hoping to make their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Memphis players, coaches and staff gathered to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show and were disappointed when they did not see their names among the field of 64 for the "Big Dance." But the Lady Tigers were rewarded for their strong season with a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Hosting the first round in front of a packed house in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, Memphis notched its first postseason victory since the 1995 campaign with a 71-61 win against Middle Tennessee State. Senior Tamika Whitmore, who would finish her career as the school's second-leading scorer all-time, finished with a game-high 29 points and 13 rebound to lead the Lady Tigers. The win helped Memphis notch its fifth consecutive 20-win season.
Next up for the Lady Tigers was another in-state opponent in UT-Martin. Memphis was looking to notch back-to-back victories for the first time in over a month. Thanks to four Lady Tigers scoring in double figures, including Whitmore's 25 and Kelly Herron's 18, Memphis posted an 87-73 win. That victory made the Lady Tigers the league's only team to advance past the second round of a postseason tournament in the 1998-99 campaign.
In the quarterfinals of the WNIT against Arkansas State, Whitmore had the game of her life, scoring a school-record 45 points in a 101-86 win. Despite being triple-teamed by the Lady Indians for much of the game, Whitmore proved unstoppable. Whitmore, a 2006 WNBA All-Star, is currently in her ninth season playing professional basketball, now with the Indiana Fever. Her ability to be prolific in postseason has continued over from her collegiate days to her professional career, as she holds the WNBA's single-game playoff scoring record of 41 points.
After hosting the first three rounds of the WNIT, Memphis was sent on the road to the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc., to meet the Wisconsin Badgers in the semifinal. The Lady Tigers dropped a 92-73 decision to the Badgers in front of more than 6,000 fans. In fact, Memphis had never won a game played in front of 2,000 or more fans in its school history. Whitmore was held to 22 points in the final game.
Memphis is one of the 12 league teams coming to Orlando, Fla., March 6-9 for the Conference USA women's basketball tournament. Single-game and session ticket packages are now available. Call the UCFAA Ticket Sales Office at 407-823-1000. For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
--UCFAA--