Sports

Dickson shines as Tigers outlast Illinois State

The University of Memphis women's basketball garnered a 76-74 win at Illinois State in the third round of the Preseason WNIT last Sunday (Nov. 18).

Tigers senior forward Nicole Dickson scored a career-high 36 points.

"What a great game from Nicole Dickson," said head coach Melissa McFerrin.

"We aren't going to get 36 points from her every night, and we'll need other players to step up and play hard without making mistakes as we go on. But this is a great win over a really good basketball team. And this was a team win. We had a lot of different contributors to get a really good win."

Dickson was named the C-USA Player of the Week, her first such honor. The Tennessee Sportswriters Association also named her the Women's Basketball Player of the Week.

NOTES:

• Tigers freshman Mooriah Rowser left the game with an injury.

• On Tuesday (Nov. 20), coach McFerrin announced that senior guard Jamila 'Mimi' Ajanaku has been cleared by the NCAA to play this season after transferring from Middle Tennessee State University. Ajanaku played in 38 games at Middle Tennessee, with two starts over three seasons. Coming out of Central High School, she was the No. 20-ranked wing player in the country by ESPN.com. She returns to Memphis to be close to her mother, who has been dealing with a health challenge. Ajanaku was expected to join the Tigers in time for their non-conference game at Texas-Arlington on Wednesday (Nov. 21) night.