SMU Women Beat Houston
DALLAS (SMU) – Keena Mays tied a career high with 34 points, hitting a personal-best seven three pointers to lead SMU to a 67-50 win over Houston at Moody Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Akil Simpson added 14 points and 13 rebounds to record her ninth double-double of the season.
The Mustangs improved to 15-10 (6-8 The American) with the win, while Houston dropped to 5-20 (1-13). The game was designated as SMU’s Play 4Kay game, and both teams wore alternate pink jerseys.
Mays is now the second Mustang to finish a game with 34 points twice in one season on the Hilltop, joining Kim Brandl, who completed the feat twice in the 1995 season. Mays also posted 34 points at UTEP on Dec. 7. The point total is tied for seventh-best in a single game in SMU history, while Mays’ seven threes are tied for second-most in SMU history, with the most recent seven-trey performance coming from Alisha Filmore on Dec. 18, 2011 versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In all, Mays was 12-of-18 from the field and 7-of-10 from three-point range. Mays becomes the first player in program history to have five career 30-point games. The Arlington, Texas, native entered the game first in the conference and in the top 40 in the nation in scoring.
SMU led 34-24 at halftime behind 17 first half points from Mays, and the
Mustangs would not let the Cougars get within single-digits for the remainder of the contest. SMU led by as many as 22 with 3:23 remaining after a Gabrielle Wilkins jumper gave SMU a 67-45 lead.
SMU outrebounded Houston 49-33, including a 36-18 edge on the defensive glass. SMU also held Houston to just 24.6 percent shooting, tying a season low for SMU opponents. Wilkins narrowly missed a double-double, recording nine points and joining Mays and Kiara Perry who, snagging eight rebounds apiece. Simpson led with 12 rebounds, with six each on the offensive and defensive end.
Houston’s only lead came after a made three-pointer 38 seconds into the game. SMU responded with an 11-0 run to lead by 10 by the first media timeout at 15:25. Houston would cut SMU’s lead to four twice in the first half, but could not make it a one-possession game for the rest of the contest.
Next up for the Mustangs is a road matchup at Memphis on Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. CST. The game will be televised live at www.ESPN3.com.
