SMU Routs East Carolina
By Dylan Edwards, SMUMustangs.com
DALLAS (SMU) – SMU’s offense was firing on all cylinders on Sunday afternoon in Moody Coliseum as the Mustangs cruised past ECU, 86-61, to get back above .500 in conference play.
All five starters for the Mustangs reached double-digits in the scoring column as SMU shot 62 percent from the floor as a team. Of the 86 points scored by the Mustangs, 80 of them were provided by the starters.
UNIVERSITY PARK, TX - JANUARY 28: Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Tim Jankovich looks on during the game between SMU and East Carolina on January 28, 2018 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire)
Sophomore Jimmy Whitt and junior Jahmal McMurrayeach provided 20 points on combined 17-of-23 shooting to lead the Mustangs. The total set a career-high for Whitt, while McMurray’s 20 was a season-high.
On top of his deadeye 9-of-11 shooting performance, Whitt also dished out six assists to lead the Mustangs in that category as well on his huge offensive night.
Each starter shot at least 50 percent from the floor, and the five combined to shoot better than 60 percent from 3-point range (11-of-18). McMurray knocked down four of his five shots from range, while Ben Emelogu II and Ethan Chargois both hit three.
ECU used hot shooting in the first half to keep the game relatively close with SMU going into the half with an 11-point lead. An 11-3 Mustang run to open the second half, coupled with the Pirates shooting just 15 percent from beyond-the-arc over the final 20 minutes, led to SMU blowing the game open and coasting to the win down the stretch.
Next up for SMU is a trip to Tulsa on February 1 for a 7 p.m. tip.
