Keena Mays was the top scorer in the game, scoring 29 points in 50 minutes of play. (Courtesy of smumustangs.com)

When the dust settled, three extra periods of basketball had been played, and the Lady mustangs extended their winning streak to nine games.

It’s the second longest winning streak in SMU’s history. The Mustangs also improved on their perfect 8-0 record in C-USA (17-14 overall).

When the chips were down, the ball found its way into the hands of Keena Mays. With one second left, she nailed a jumper to lift the Mustangs over UAB 94-92.

“I’ll tell you what, they hit some tough shots and you have to credit both teams for fighting to the end,” said SMU head coach Rohnda Rompola.

In 50 minutes of play Mays scored 29 points, and was one of three Mustangs with double-doubles. The junior transfer from Kansas and Arlington native hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to force a second overtime period. In total Mays hit five three-pointers on the night.

“It’s funny because we have in inbound play for a three and we changed it at the last minute,” said Rompola. “[Gabriel] Wilkons heard the call from the bench and executed a really a double pick for Keena and that’s probably why she got such a good look.”

Destynee Hives-McCray racked up 14 points and 15 boards for her fifth double-double of the season, while Akil Simpson posted her fourth with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Mustangs had a season-high 58 boards, with 27 coming on the offensive end.

Senior Alisha Filmore scored 12 points before fouling out with 1:20 left in the initial overtime. She now has 943 career points and needs 57 to become the 20th 1,000-point scorer in school history.

Freshman Wilkons had 13 points and four steals- making her the sixth Mustang in double figures.

Early in the second half SMU led by as many as 11 points, however UAB’s defense shut down the Mustang offense for four minutes, allowing the Blazers to make a sizable dent in the lead- making it 52-49.

“We could have put the game away earlier but we made some huge mistakes with the basketball, it’s just frustrating,” said Rompola. “We made a lot of mental mistakes and, I’ll be honest, we are fortunate to come out with the win in this game, UAB played their hearts out.”

It was the longest game for SMU since 2006 when it took Tulsa to triple overtime in the first round of the C-USA Championship.

The Lady Mustangs will look to continue this magical streak when they host Marshall at Moody Coliseum on Sunday.