SMU Loses At East Carolina

SMU dropped to 2-6 in Conference USA, 10-12 overall with a 62-43 loss at East Carolina.  

Jalen Jones had 11 points for the Mustangs . SMU leading scorer Robert Nyakundi did not play in the game due to a hamstring injury suffered against Tulsa on Saturday.

In a contest that was close early and tied at 12-all with 11 minutes until halftime, Darrius Morrow’s three-point play started a 10-0 Pirates run. East Carolina (11-10, 2-6) led the rest of the way, taking a 31-17 lead at intermission and outscoring the Mustangs 31-26 in the second half.

The Pirates snapped a two-game losing streak against SMU in their all-time series.

Robert Sampson and Shamarr Bowden each knocked down three 3-pointers for the Pirates, who shot 10 of 28 from the arc (35.7 percent). The Mustangs were 0 of 11 from long range.

SMU returns home to Moody Coliseum for its next game against UCF on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Mustangs are home for five of the next six games, including TCU on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Tickets are available online at smumustangs.com.