SMU Suffers First Loss of Season

FREEPORT, Bahamas (SMU) – The Mustangs suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 7-1 after an 87-47 defeat to No. 3/4 Tennessee Friday night in the championship game of the Junkanoo Jam Bahamas tournament. The Lady Vols improved to 7-0 with the win.

Keena Mays finished with 12 points, earning all-tournament honors, and Akil Simpson scored 11, but is wasn’t enough to overcome Tennessee, which had four players in double digits, led by Ariel Massengale’s 16-point performance. The Lady Vols shot 46.6 percent from the field for the game, including a 55.9 percent second half, making 19 of 34 field goals, while SMU was held to a season-low 26.3 shooting percentage.

Tennessee started the first half on a 21-5 run, out-rebounded the Mustangs 14-6 through the first 8:15 of the game. The shots then started falling for the Mustangs, who started just 1-for-10 from the field. SMU cut the lead to eight, 23-15, with a 10-4 run spanning the next four minutes.

The Mustangs held the Lady Vols to six field goals in 19 attempts over the last 11 minutes, but Tennessee led 39-27 at halftime. Mays had 12 points in the first 20 minutes, and SMU went to the free throw line 18 times, eight more than Tennessee, but made just 11.

The Lady Vols stretched the halftime lead to 21 over the first three minutes of the second half, and held a 30-point advantage with 12:05 to go in the game, 63-33. SMU returns home for its final game in the Curtis Culwell Center, taking on Southeast Louisiana Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs then play four straight road games, including the first two American Athletic Conference games of the season, before hosting USF for the first women’s game in a newly-renovated Moody Coliseum on Jan. 4.