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SMU Basketball opens AAC play with 66-54 win over Charlotte

by: Kevin Lonnquist01/03/24
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SMU won its fourth straight game by dispatching Charlotte in its opening game in American Athletic Conference play. Here’s the recap as the Mustangs got the job done in Moody Coliseum.

Score: SMU 66, Charlotte 54

Record: 10-4, 1-0 AAC

Next Game: At No. 15 Memphis, 4:00 pm (ESPN)

Player of the Game: Tyreek Smith – 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks. Smith’s energy off the bench played a pivotal role when the Mustangs began slow and fell into an early 10-2 deficit. There was a stretch where he scored five points. The Oklahoma State transfer was 4-5 from the field. It was arguably his best game as a Mustang.

Leading scorers: Zhuric Phelps 13, Sam Williamson 12

Sequence of the Game: Down by that 10-2 margin, the Mustangs went on a 17-3 run over a near 8-minute span and took the lead for good at 19-13. Defense created offense. Zhuric Phelps highlighted the run with a steal and dunk that gave the Mustangs a 15-3 lead.

Rest of the Story: SMU then slowly built the lead to 32-24 at the intermission. Eventually, the Mustangs played with a lead between nine and 14 points for most of the second half. Charlotte closed to within 48-40 with 11:13 to play. But that’s as close as the 49ers got. Ironically, Charlotte was in the middle of a 7:03 stretch where it didn’t have a field goal. SMU’s defense collected six steals and blocked seven shots.

Notable Stat I: The Mustangs won the points in the paint, 40-20

Notable Stat II: SMU won second-chance points, 15-4

The Final Word: SMU’s approach offensively changed for two reasons. First, the Mustangs knew they were more athletic than the 49ers and could get to the goal if their defense continued to frustrate ball handlers and create opportunities. Charlotte committed a respectable 11 turnovers. But SMU scored 10 points from them. Second, the Mustangs couldn’t incorporate the 3-point shot in their approach. They were just 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) and the second was Jalen Smith’s 23-footer at the end of the game when he had to hoist it. Telling was 48 of SMU’s 62 total attempts were 2-pointers.

SMU’s defense has been the story of this season. Through Charlotte, its opponents are shooting 36 percent overall and 26 percent from the arc. Now, some of that is a product of playing some inferior opponents. But defense is built on footwork and communication. Now, they’re going to get a real test of how good that defense is Sunday at Memphis. Be assured, the Mustangs can’t go 2-of-14 from the arc if they expect to have a chance to pull the upset.

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