SMU guard Katy Cobb (left) charges past UTA forward Shalyn Martin (right) during Saturday evening’s game at Moody Coliseum. (John Schreiber)

The Mustangs won back-to-back victories over the Coppin State Eagles and University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks this week, improving to an eight-game winning streak.

The Mustangs currently stand at 8-1, the team’s longest consecutive winning streak since the 2004-05 season.

Thursday night’s game against Coppin State posted somewhat of a challenge to SMU, with the Eagles draining several difficult shots to match the Mustangs point for point.

“They weren’t making easy shots, they were making tough shots,” explained head coach Rhonda Rompola.

The Mustangs held a 36-27 lead at halftime, with sophomore forward Delisha Wills posting 11 points for her team. Wills also had two assists in the first half and six rebounds to help put her team in the lead for the entire first half. SMU gained an early lead over the Eagles, being up by as many as nine points at times, but also falling to just a one-point lead with just over 10 minutes left till the buzzer.

Teammate senior post Janielle Dodds contributed four points, while senior guard Katy Cobb saw her best game of the season, adding six points and one rebound in the first half. Adding 11 more points to her career, Dodds became tied in second place with Kerri Delaney for most career points at SMU.

The Mustangs had 22 more shots than the Eagles in the first half, but posted lower percent numbers in field goals and three-pointers.

The Eagles came out strong in the second half, making several tough shots, catching up to the Mustangs with 4:30 left. The teams battled back and forth for the lead, but Coppin State never gained more than a one-point advantage. Tying the game at 66-66 with just 1:47 left, the Mustangs scrambled for a win.

Cobb secured the win for her team when she sunk a three-pointer with just 1:33 left in the game.

“After I shot that and made it, my whole body started tingling,” said Cobb. “I couldn’t believe it. I was just glad it went in. They reversed it to me, and it was just there, and I was wide open.”

The basket put the Mustangs up 69-66.

Senior guard Sharee Shepherd rebounded the ball in SMU territory, and sent teammate sophomore guard Jillian Samuels to the line to lock in the win with two successful free throws.

“We’re finding a way to win, but we just need to figure out how to build on a lead and keep a lead,” explained Cobb.

SMU had three players score in double figures, with Cobb recording a season-high 14 career points, and Shepherd contributing 12. With a final score of 71-68, the Mustangs improved to 7-1, while Coppin State fell to 4-6.

“Those girls were fast. They were hard to guard with their shake ‘n’ bake style. I was just glad we pulled the win out,” said Cobb.

The Mustangs improved their record Saturday night when they stampeded over the UTA Mavericks in a 97-66 victory.

“We wanted to make them play defense and not settle for the outside shots, and we felt that every time we went to the hoop something good happened, we either scored or they fouled us,” Rompola said about the Mustangs pulling off the win.

SMU’s bench improved from adding only 11 points against Coppin State to contributing 42 points against the Mavericks.

The Mustangs rallied to take an early lead, managing to get up by as many as 11 points with five minutes left in the first half when sophomore post Alice Severin hit her second lay-up of the night. The Mustangs bench continued to add points to the board, with sophomore forward Brittany Gilliam draining eight points in the first half, and Severin adding six more.

Wills had 12 points and two assists, while Samuels had six points, and went 2-2 in three-pointers. With Dodds on the bench after getting fouled twice in the first few minutes of play, the bench worked together to make up for Dodd’s temporary absence.

SMU went into the locker room 46-36, hitting 50 percent of their field goals, 60 percent in three pointers and 78.6 percent in free throws.

UTA’s Maryann Abanobi led her team with 10 points, while Tamara Simmons was credited with four assists. The Mavericks had eight more shots than the Mustangs but could not score enough to gain the lead.

In the second half, the Mustangs improved their lead with the help of the bench, getting up by 14 points two minutes in. Samuels continued going for three-pointers, sinking two more before the final buzzer sounded.

With two of UTA’s leading scorers fouling out in the second half, SMU quickly increased its lead. Up by 24 points with three minutes left, sophomore post Catherine Campbell, freshman forward Haley Day, and junior guard Brittany

Allen played out the remaining minutes. With the starters on their feet cheering the bench on, 12 more points were added.

The Mustangs defeated the Mavericks 97-66, with 42 points credited to the team’s bench. Gilliam had a game-high 18 points and tied Cobb and three UTA players with five assists. Wills had 16 points, Cobb recorded 10, Samuels finished the game with 17 and Severin added 10 to total five Mustangs scoring double digits. Neither team recorded double doubles.

Gilliam recorded new season-high numbers in addition to her total points with five field goals, eight free throws and five assists.

SMU finished the game shooting 75.8 percent from the line, 53.2 percent in field goals and 54.5 percent in three pointers. The Mustangs are now at 8-1 approaching an 11-day break before they will travel to New York.

The Mustangs will play again Dec. 19 against Manhattan in New York City. SMU will return home to Moody Coliseum on Jan. 11 to host the Knights from the University of Central Florida.