Needing a victory to secure a first-round bye in the American Athletic Conference tournament, the SMU women’s basketball team (16-10, 7-8 in AAC) traveled into hostile territory and defeated the Memphis Tigers, 78-74 on Saturday afternoon.
Despite squandering a 75-64 advantage with a little over a minute to play thanks to three consecutive turnovers on inbounds plays, the Mustangs still controlled the game with a three-point lead after freshman Kiara Perry knocked down two critical free throws.
Memphis quickly moved the ball up the court in an effort to catch the Mustangs off guard, but in her haste Tigers guard Mooriah Rowser threw the ball away to SMU’s Gabrielle Wilkins.
After another free throw conversion by the game’s high scorer, senior guard Keena Mays, the Mustangs secured the victory and the break they’ll need in next month’s tournament.
Mays finished with 24 points on six made field goals and 10-of-12 free throws to go along with her four rebounds and two assists. Although the guard from Mansfield Timberview was the standout in terms of points, she and her teammates were helped by a huge effort from senior Akil Simpson.
Coming off a solid game last week in the team’s win against the Houston Cougars, Simpson started off hot, scoring 14 points and collecting four rebounds in the first half. With her effort, Simpson moved into 15th place on the Mustangs all-time scoring list. She finished with 20 points and eight boards and was a force in the paint, keeping Memphis off the glass whenever she was in the game.
The Mustangs took a 40-27 lead into the locker room at halftime on 15-of-25 field goals overall, nine of which were converted on assists. The goal of the opening frame appeared to be let Simpson get to work in the paint while using a steady passing attack to open up shots for everyone else, including Mays.
Mays was efficient through the first 20 minutes of play, shooting just four times but converting three of them to go along with four conversions from the free-throw line.
Regardless of the early success the Mustangs had, the second half was a battle for both teams, as Memphis and SMU consistently traded buckets and never allowed one or the other to go on any significant run until the final minute.
With the victory, SMU will carry some momentum into its biggest game of the season when the nation’s no.1 team, the UConn Huskies, come into Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Mustangs will look to avenge their frustrating loss earlier this month in which no player besides Mays scored more than five points in the 102-41 beating in Storrs, Conn.
