MEMPHIS (Interstat)—Memphis used a balanced offensive night and a decisive defensive stretch to defeat visiting LeMoyne-Owen 78-42 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Monday at FedExForum. The Tigers improved to 1-0 in the young season, while LeMoyne-Owen was a non-divisional opponent. Anjanae Richardson led all scorers with 23 points and added six rebounds, two assists and one block in 33 minutes. The Tigers never trailed after the opening minutes and pulled away over the final two quarters.

Memphis set the tone early. Daejah Richmond made the first of two free throws with 9:57 remaining in the first quarter, and Destiny Thomas followed with a layup. Richardson scored on a layup and later added a driving layup as the Tigers built an early cushion. Jordan Hunter connected on a 3-point field goal with 7:05 left in the opening quarter, and Richmond and Richardson kept the pressure on with baskets in the lane. LeMoyne-Owen stayed within reach behind Alecsis Smith, who made a layup and a free throw, and Serena Lee, who hit two 3-pointers late in the period. Ke’Sonja Nelson also scored on a jump shot and a driving layup for LeMoyne-Owen. Memphis still carried the momentum after Richmond made two free throws and Ainaya Williams added two free throws, and the Tigers held the visitors to a manageable first-quarter total.

The second quarter produced LeMoyne-Owen’s best stretch. Farrah Buckner opened the period with a stepback jump shot, and after Richmond scored on a driving layup for Memphis, LeMoyne-Owen answered with free throws from Alecsis Smith and consecutive baskets by Layla Hampton. Hampton’s hook shot with 7:16 remaining gave LeMoyne-Owen a 23-22 lead. Memphis responded immediately. Destiny Thomas made layups on back-to-back possessions, Richardson converted a free throw and a driving layup, and Thomas added another layup. Tierney Kelsey scored on a layup, Richardson completed a three-point play, and Hunter made a free throw. Thomas closed the half with a tip-in layup, sending Memphis into the break with a 39-27 advantage. Buckner scored again for LeMoyne-Owen before halftime and also made free throws in the period, but the visitors could not sustain their brief lead.

Memphis broke the game open after the break. Alecsis Smith made a driving layup for LeMoyne-Owen, but Hunter answered with a pullup jump shot. Richardson made a free throw, and after Ke’Sonja Nelson scored for LeMoyne-Owen, Richardson added a layup. Kelsey then hit a 3-point jump shot, made two free throws and later connected on another 3-pointer to stretch the margin. Hunter added a layup, and Richmond made two free throws and a driving layup. LeMoyne-Owen received a Layla Hampton layup and one free throw, while Aniya Blackmon made two free throws, but Memphis led 59-36 after three quarters. The Tigers’ pressure and length began to affect LeMoyne-Owen’s possessions, and Memphis kept finding answers at the other end.

The fourth quarter was all Memphis. Kelsey opened the scoring with a driving layup, and Ainaya Williams made a layup while drawing a foul and completed the three-point play. Richardson made a free throw and a layup, Richmond scored on a driving layup, and Richardson drained a 3-point field goal. Williams added a tip-in layup, Richardson made another layup, and Kelsey capped Memphis’s scoring with a layup to make it 78-38. LeMoyne-Owen did not quit. Farrah Buckner made a turnaround jump shot, and Makaia Smith made two free throws to finish the visitors’ scoring. The Tigers’ defense limited LeMoyne-Owen to 42 points and forced a difficult shooting night throughout.

Richardson’s performance stood out as the top star for Memphis. The 5-foot-8 guard from Portsmouth, Va., who previously played at Manor High School, scored 23 points to go with six rebounds, two assists and one block. Daejah Richmond added 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes. Tierney Kelsey contributed 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block in 25 minutes. Destiny Thomas finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 22 minutes. Ainaya Williams added seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes. Jordan Hunter chipped in eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. Tamya Smith had four rebounds and one block in 22 minutes, while Khyra Garrett, Bailey Gilmore and Aubrey Hampton also saw minutes for the Tigers. Memphis’s bench and frontcourt helped control the paint, and the Tigers finished with 14 assists, nine offensive rebounds and eight blocks.

LeMoyne-Owen got production from Alecsis Smith in the paint, Serena Lee from the perimeter, and Layla Hampton around the basket. Ke’Sonja Nelson scored on drives and jumpers, Farrah Buckner contributed in the second and fourth quarters, and Aniya Blackmon and Makaia Smith added free throws. The visitors briefly led in the second quarter, but Memphis answered with a run before halftime and never let the game get close again.

The Tigers also committed 21 turnovers, but their defensive effort and scoring runs kept LeMoyne-Owen from building any lasting momentum after the early second-quarter lead. Memphis scored 78 points from 79 possessions, good for an offensive rating of 99.0. The attendance at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., was 792. The Tigers’ next stretch will test their depth and consistency as the season moves forward. Memphis’s interior defense made LeMoyne-Owen work for every basket, and the Tigers’ rebounding helped limit second-chance opportunities.

Memphis will next face Middle Tennessee, then Arkansas-Little Rock, Alabama and South Alabama at home before traveling to SMU in Frisco, Texas, and Mississippi. The Tigers then return home to face Texas Christian, travel to Louisiana Tech and Bradley, and close the listed stretch at home against Mississippi Valley State.