Memphis Falls to Mississippi State in Preseason Play

The Memphis women's basketball team struggled with turnovers and shooting accuracy in their recent scrimmage loss.

Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Basketball

Expressive sports illustration showing basketball players in blue and maroon uniforms in a high-energy scramble for the ball on a court. — The Memphis women's basketball team fell to Mississippi State 69-60 on Tuesday, struggling with turnovers and free-throw shooting in the preseason scrimmage. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Memphis women's basketball dropped a preseason scrimmage 69-60 to Mississippi State. The Tigers faced significant challenges as they struggled to maintain possession and convert from the line.

Why it matters

The loss highlights early-season discipline issues for the squad as they look to refine their offensive approach. The team will need to improve ball security and shooting consistency to meet their internal performance goals.

Memphis committed 24 turnovers resulting in 25 points for their opponent, while shooting only 32% from the field and missing 14 free throws. The team has set seasonal goals of averaging 72 points per game on 45% field goal shooting.

The players

AJ Richardson

She is a key playmaker and scorer for the Memphis women's basketball program.

Daejah Richmond

She is a primary offensive contributor for the Memphis team who showed strong production in the first half.

Hana Haden

She serves as the head coach for the Memphis women's basketball team and provides oversight for the program's development.

The details

Mississippi State capitalized on defensive pressure, using a 1-2-2 zone in the second half to stifle the Memphis offense. While AJ Richardson led the team with 17 points and Daejah Richmond added 16 in the first half, the team failed to overcome their scoring inefficiencies.

October 7, 2026: Memphis faced Mississippi State in a preseason scrimmage.
October 12, 2026: Coach Hana Haden addressed the team's performance during media day in Tampa.

Season Trajectory

The loss serves as a diagnostic tool that highlights where Memphis currently stands against the established NCAA women's basketball preseason scrimmage standards. Identifying these early vulnerabilities will be critical for the team to adjust their rotation before regular-season conference play begins.

The 24 turnovers indicate a high risk to team efficiency that could complicate early-season win projections for those tracking the Tigers. Maintaining a 70% free throw shooting rate will be the primary metric for the offense to hit their scoring goals.

The takeaway

Focusing on ball security in practice is the most immediate path to improving offensive flow for the upcoming season. Players should prioritize disciplined ball handling to negate the impact of opponent zone defenses.