SMU fell 63-52 to Connecticut on the road Thursday night. Junior guard Shake Milton led scoring for the Mustangs, recording 18 points against the Huskies.
The Mustangs, hindered with Jarrey Foster and Everett Ray’s season-ending injuries, had only eight scholarship players eligible to play.
FINAL | UConn 63, SMU 52
Shake Milton leads the Mustangs with 18 points, while Jimmy Whitt goes for 14 pic.twitter.com/uP6KdjJ2BS
— SMU Basketball (@SMUBasketball) January 26, 2018
Early on, the Mustangs recorded eight unanswered points. Connecticut’s Jalen Adams and Christian Vital responded with 11 points of their own. The Mustangs continued to trail Connecticut for the remainder of the first half.
Although SMU found success with their offensive rebounding, recording 10 in the first half, the Huskies led the Mustangs by three points at the end of the first half.
Junior guard Jimmy Whitt opened scoring in the second half, eliminating the Huskies’ lead and tying the score, 27-27. Overall, the Arkansas transfer recorded 14 points. Shortly after, Ben Emelogu added a 3-pointer to give the Mustangs a 30-28 lead.
Connecticut found more success with rebounding in the second half and the Huskies ultimately took the lead. Milton’s last second 3-pointer jumper wasn’t enough to overcome the 14 point gap, and the Mustangs’ current winning streak was halted.
Up next, the Mustangs will return home to host East Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m.
