SMU continues to stack AAC wins with latest 69-61 victory over Temple
Despite sputtering out of the gate, SMU was able to pick up the win, defeating Temple 69-61 Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum to move to 16-4 overall and 7-1 in AAC play.
Holding a 3-point lead at the half, SMU wasn’t able to pull away until the final two minutes, when Kendric Davis drilled his only attempt from beyond the arc to extend the Mustang lead to 10.
Led by forward Marcus Weathers, who added 27 points and nine rebounds, SMU was able to assert their dominance in the paint throughout the entirety of the contest.
“He is just tougher than nails, we knew that when we got him because we had watched a lot of film on him,” head coach Tim Jankovich said when speaking to the media after the game. “People forget he was a two-time 2nd team all-conference, in a great conference, and so he did that against high level players for multiple years. He is such a warrior; I mean he carried us offensively tonight.”
“Moody Magic, we just love home cooking,” forward Marcus Weathers said when speaking after continuing the home winning streak. “I think it is the energy of the crowd and the atmosphere. We take a lot of pride in it so we do not want to lose at home and disappoint the home fans. We talk about making sure we do not lose at home every time before we take the court here.”
Despite an off-shooting night from star point guard Kendric Davis, SMU was still able to get the job done. Davis finished the afternoon 3-of-7 from the field with six turnovers, but still managed to score 11 points. The Mustangs shot 48 percent from the floor, while limiting the Owls to 38 percent.
With Wichita State coming to town this Thursday, SMU will get some much-needed rest. The Shockers, who lost at Tulane today, sit at 10-8 overall and 1-5 in conference action.
Emmanuel Bandoumel added 10 points for the Mustangs while Micheal Weathers tied for the team-high in rebounds with nine. SMU had 10 blocks, tying the season high which was set in the game against Sam Houston State back in November.
SMU was 17-of-23 on free throws for the afternoon, which included a perfect 4-of-4 from the stripe for both Davis and Marcus Weathers.
SMU faces Wichita State at 6 p.m. CT in Moody Coliseum on Thursday, which will be broadcast on ESPN+. At 7-1 in league play, SMU is off to its best start in league play since 2016-17.
