SMU Basketball wills itself to 76-71 win over Cincinnati to snap skid against Bearcats
Heading into the final TV timeout, SMU Basketball was down to Cincinnati, which was looking for its 11th straight win over the Mustangs. In Moody Coliseum, the Mustangs improved to 15-0 on the year as Tim Jankovich’s team circled the wagons to roar back and grab a 76-71 win on Thursday.
“It’s also one of the great fighting wins that I’ve been a part of where it was all on will,” head coach Tim Jankovich said after the game. “That game was willed. We played first half, I think we were tentative. There’s a lot of pressure on these guys right now. Everything is Game 7 for us it feels like. I think we played a little not to lose. Then the second half starts off a little poorly, it doesn’t look too good. We got to reach down and play as hard as we can. Coaches say that, but I thought they did play as hard as they could. To me, that’s a beautiful thing. They would not (give in).
“In this one, I don’t think you could play harder for 14 minutes and they were not going to let it happen. I think it’s fantastic and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Mustangs, sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, needed a jolt. They got that when guard Michael Weathers dunked at 4:22 to put the team up 63-62.
“I would say it was just a gritty performance for us,” Weathers told reporters after the game. “Get down back to the basics of what we do, our identity, which is defense, holding opponents to a low percentage on field goals.”
Point guard Kendric Davis led SMU Basketball with 25 points while Weathers added 19 and 11 rebounds. His brother, Marcus, added 15 points while Emmanuel Bandoumel notched 10 points in the win.
SMU Basketball scraps its way to win over Cincinnati
In the second half, SMU trailed by 10 after entering the final half down 24-28. The veteran bunch turned the corner as the game entered the final minutes to improve to 21-7 overall and 12-4 in American Athletic Conference play.
Down the stretch, SMU Basketball grabbed loose balls to give the Mustangs extra possessions that proved critical. SMU outrebounded the pesky Bearcats, 47-35.
Davis hit a three-pointer, off an offensive rebound, before the final media timeout that gave SMU momentum that the team fed off of.
“We’ve got to give them credit,” Bandoumel said. “They’re a tough team and they scrap around. We take a toll a little bit on them. At the same time, it’s about toughness, especially this point of the year. It’s just about who’s the toughest team.”
The Mustangs went 33-40 on free throws, its most makes and attempts since 2010.
David DeJulius led Cincinnati with 21 points and four assists while Jeremiah Davenport scored 17 points while grabbing a team-high seven boards.
SMU Basketball closes out the regular season with its Sunday matchup at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
