Musketeers Drop Season Opener at Memphis

Tuesday, November 9

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m. ET

Xavier University

0-1,0-0Big East

Memphis

1-0,0-0AAC

Xavier

Memphis

11.09.21 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Aanaya Harris scored 12 points in her collegiate debut

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Xavier women's basketball dropped its season opener, 84-64, at Memphis on Tuesday night at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

FIRST HALF

• Xavier led 12-11 at the 3:12 mark in the first quarter following a basket by Shelby Calhoun. Memphis responded by going on a 10-0 run, taking a 21-12 advantage with just over a minute left in the frame. Calhoun hit a basket in the closing minute to make the score, 21-14, after one quarter of play.

• Xavier opened the second quarter on a 5-2 run capped by a Nia Clark three-point play, closing within three points (23-19) with 7:42 on the clock. Memphis went on a 15-8 run to take its first double-figure lead of the game, 38-27, with 2:30 left in the half.

• The Tigers outscored Xavier, 5-3, down the stretch to take a 13-point lead (43-30) into the locker room.

• Shelby Calhoun led the Musketeers with eight points in the first half on 4-for-6 shooting. Aanaya Harris and Nia Clark both added seven points, combining to go 6-for-10 from the floor. Shaila Beeler had a team-high five rebounds and three assists.

• Memphis hed a 21-15 advantage on the glass and scored 13 points off of 12 Xavier turnovers. The Tigers also hit 50 percent of their shot attempts, while Xavier posted a .438 field-goal percentage (14-for-32).

SECOND HALF

• Xavier closed within 10 points twice in the opening minutes of the second half before the Tigers took a 54-35 lead at the media timeout (5:51).

• Memphis took its first 20-point lead (62-42) with 2:47 left in the third quarter and led by double figures for the remainder of the contest. Xavier closed with 17 points (77-60) with just over two minutes left in regulation before the Tigers pulled away for the 84-64 victory.

• Xavier was limited to a .350 field-goal percentage (7-for-20) in the second half. Nia Clark scored a team-high nine points in the second half.

NOTABLES

• Nia Clark led three Musketeers in double figures with a game-high 16 points, her 14th career game with 10 or more points. The guard was 7-for-13 from the floor.

• Aanaya Harris scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting in her collegiate debut. She added three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of action off the bench.

• Shelby Calhoun added 10 points in her Xavier debut, going 4-for-11 from the floor. The guard added six rebounds, five steals and four assists in a team-high 35 minutes of action.

• Newcomer Mikayla Hayes pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to go along with four points. Newcomer Shaila Beeler chipped in six points, five rebounds and five assists.

• Memphis won the battle on the glass, 47-33, and had one more steal (12-11) than the Musketeers. The Tigers also held a 27-10 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored seven more second-chance points (20-13). Xavier scored five more fastbreak points (18-13) than Memphis.

• Xavier finished the game with a .400 field-goal percentage (27-for-68), while the Tigers hit 45 percent (30-for-63) of their shot attempts. The Tigers also took 14 more free throws (23-9) than Xavier.

• Xavier moves to 0-2 in the all-time series vs the Tigers. Head coach Melanie Moore also moved to 2-1 in season openers as the Xavier head coach.

UP NEXT

• Xavier continues its season-opening road trip at Utah on Saturday, Nov. 13. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET from the Huntsman Center.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW