U of M women hunt for win 700

Would be 38th NCAA team to reach milestone

While a win at Marshall tonight won’t produce any championships, it will still be cause for celebration for the University of Memphis women’s basketball team.

Defeating the Thundering Herd would make the Tigers just the 38th program in NCAA women’s basketball history to record 700 victories. The Tigers (19-5, 9-2 Conference USA), who are celebrating their 40th season of women’s basketball, currently have an all-time record of 699508.

“For us to be one of the first 38 teams to get to 700, I just think it speaks really well to the commitment the University of Memphis had from the early days when really not a lot of people were paying attention,” U of M coach Melissa Mcferrin said.

“That goes back to the likes of an Elma Roane (former U of M women’s athletic director who passed last September) and a Mary Lou Johns (former Tigers coach), and a Lynn Parkes (current women’s AD). They were determined that women were going to have opportunities and because of that, we’ve been playing at a high level for a long time.”

A win tonight will also give the Tigers their third consecutive 20win season, something the program hasn’t done since doing it four straight times from the 199596 season through 1998-99.

It’s the type of success Mcferrin intended to enjoy when she took over the struggling program four years ago. Prior to her hire, the Tigers had endured four straight losing seasons, compiling a mark Radio: WUMR-FM 91.7

of 30-88 during that time.

Mcferrin will take a 72-50 record at Memphis into tonight’s 6 p.m. CST game.

Her mantra from the beginning was turning the Tigers program into the “Class of Conference USA.”

“She says that over and over, ‘Be the Class of Conference USA,’ ” redshirt sophomore guard Bilqis Abdul-qaadir said. “At first , they’re just words. You have to have faith in it. Of course, people are going to say actions speaks louder than words, and we’re proving a lot of people wrong.”

Last season, the Tigers were 21-13 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament. This year, they were preseason favorites to win the