Maybe it was because they forgot their blue suede shoes, but the
Billikens didn’t have a very good time walking in Memphis … or at
least walking home.

The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team ventured to
the land of Delta Blues with a single goal in mind: win. A victory
was a must for the do-or-die Billikens, whose hopes of a bid to the
Conference USA Tournament would be determined in 40 minutes on the
hardcourt at the University of Memphis.

But instead of walking away with a win under their belts and a
bid to the postseason in hand, the Billikens left Memphis with a
69-60 loss at the hands of the Tigers.

The Billikens outshot the Tigers from the field and the free
throw line. Senior forward Angie Lewis, who was named to the
All-Conference USA third team, had an impressive showing in her
final Billiken outing, matching Memphis’ Conference USA Preseason
All-Conference pick Princess Swilley’s 17 points. To SLU’s dismay,
27 Billiken turnovers and a resilient Memphis press was too
much.

Kirsti Holloway made her presence known early, and Jana Haywood
started what looked to be a promising first half with a basket in
transition to give the Billikens an early four-point advantage. The
Bills took advantage of early Memphis fouls, and after a few trips
to the free-throw line and a Shea Kenny driving basket, SLU held a
commanding 11-4 lead.

But then the Tigers came out of their cages. “Memphis is known
for their pressure,” Lewis said. “We did not do a good job overall
of taking care of the basketball and ended up turning the ball over
a lot.”

Memphis capitalized on the Bills’ falters and put up five
straight points, six minutes into the half. By the end of the first
half, Memphis broke a 17-all tie and went on a 13-5 run, with more
than two and a half minutes remaining. SLU tried to play catchup
but couldn’t get closer than a 38-32 deficit at the end of the
half, even with a tip-in by Yanique Javois just before the clock
ran out.

Throughout the second half, the Billikens scrambled to catch the
Tigers, managing to pull within a single basket with Holloway’s
lone three-pointer of the night. But Swilley ended the threat with
10 straight points.

“Everyone in the league knows that Kirsti is our best
three-point shooter, and they pay a lot of attention to her,” Lewis
said.

The Billikens got within six points of the crucial win when
Haywood drilled a jumper from the side and narrowed Memphis’ lead
to 61-55. Lewis and Swilley, the anchors of the two respective
teams took turns at the free-throw line late in the half, and Lewis
banked two charity tosses to chip away at Memphis’ lead with just
under two minutes remaining.

Lewis’ efforts to inch the team closer weren’t enough to tame
the Tigers on their homecourt, a message Jennifer Sullivan
emphatically sent with a drive into the lane and a basket in the
final ticks of the game. SLU got one last look at the precious
basket in the last minute of play but never capitalized, and
Memphis walked away with the final 69-60 win.

“Of course, I’m not satisfied with how we ended the season, I
would rather have walked away with a win. Five or six games this
season came down to two or three possessions, and I wish they went
in our favor,” Lewis said.

Holloway, Haywood and Stephanie Solomon also ended their
Billiken careers with valiant showings.

Haywood fell one board shy of a double-double, finishing with 12
points and nine rebounds. Holloway wasn’t far behind with 11
points, uncharacteristically going only 1-4 from behind the
arc.