Techsters take 66-50 win over Memphis

Raizel Guinto and Zhanae Whitney provided a spark off the bench and Kierra Anthony recorded her fourth 20-plus point performance leading Louisiana Tech to a 66-50 win over Memphis Sunday afternoon at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Tech (3-1) won its first road test of the year despite shooting only 37 percent from the field, 27 percent from the three-point line and 55 percent from the free throw line and getting out-rebounded 50-42.

“Why am I complaining about a 16 point road win,” said Tech head coach Brooke Stoehr. “But I just didn’t think we were very sharp today. The last two days of practice were two of the best days that we have had in a long time. You just never know.

“I thought we gave up some easy stuff to their posts early. We knew they had a size advantage. We didn’t get them out of the post box or pressure the ball very well. In that second quarter we started picking it up, getting some stops and that led to some offensive opportunities. We hit some shots and got to the free throw line. It was a weird game.”

The first quarter saw both teams fail to find the range from the field. Tech hit just 3-of-16 field goals while Memphis made just 4-of-17 as the game was tied at 10-10 after the first period.

“I never felt like we got into much of a flow offensively in the first or third quarters,” said Stoehr “I thought we were better in the second quarter and early in the fourth quarter. You always want to get a win and take care of business on the road but we have to play better.”

Guinto, a sophomore guard from Winnipeg, Canada, came off the Tech bench early in the second quarter and ignited the LA Tech offense. Guinto hit all five of her field goal attempts and scored 13 points as the Lady Techsters outscored Memphis 27-19 in the period to grab a 37-28 halftime lead.

“I thought Raizel was huge off the bench in the first half when they went to the zone,” said Stoehr. “We figured they would sit in the zone and not try to chase us around with all of our screening action. We just went with her. She hit some big shots, finished around the rim and really gave us a big spark today. I thought she was huge.”

Coming out of the halftime locker room, the two teams once again struggled offensively. Tech hit just 4-of-17 field goals in the quarter while Memphis hit just 4-of-12. However, the Lady Techsters still extended its lead to 51-41.

With the game still in doubt, Tech turned to senior guard Taylor Stahly early in the fourth quarter. Stahly, who extended her program record of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer to 35 games, drilled back-to-back three-pointers in back-to-back possessions as Tech scored 13 of the first 15 points in the quarter to push the lead out to 21. Stahly finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers.

Senior forward Zhanae Whitney recorded a double double with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds battling a Memphis front line that outsized LA Tech.

“That’s back-to-back games with 10 boards for Zhanae,” said Stoehr. “She started blocking out and getting some defensive boards. I thought that was big. And then she was 4-for-4 (from the field), and I thought she took good shots. She took easy shots.

“Her teammates were setting her up. Their posts were helping up and our guards were dumping it off to her and she just turned and finished. That’s what we have to have. In order for us to get that balance and get that third and fourth scorer.”

Alana Davis led Memphis with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Tech returns to action Tuesday when it travels to Jonesboro to face Arkansas State at 7 p.m.