SMU Women Defeat East Carolina
DALLAS (SMU) – With one second left in regulation, Morgan Bolton sank a 3-point buzzer beater from the right wing to force overtime. The SMU women’s basketball team outscored the Pirates 11-4 in the final five minutes to clinch a 74-67 win over East Carolina in Moody Coliseum Tuesday night. The Mustangs improve to 11-12 overall and 6-6 in the American Athletic Conference, while East Carolina falls to 9-15, 3-9 in conference action.
Trailing 53-50 with 7:28 to play, East Carolina used a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 56-53, with 5:34 remaining. A jumper from Stephanie Collins and a layup from Froling with 4:58 left in the game gave SMU a one point lead, 57-56, but the Pirates’ I’Tiana Taylor gave ECU a 58-57 lead with 3:43 left. Trailing 62-57 with 2:22 left in regulation, SMU made three straight free-throws to come within two, 62-60, with 1:07 remaining. After missing a jumper and three free-throw attempts, East Carolina converted one at the line to take a three point advantage with 17 seconds left. In the final second, Bolton grabbed an offensive rebound, got behind the arc and banked in the tying field goal.
In the first overtime period of the season for SMU, senior Gabrielle Wilkins led the Mustangs with six points, going 1-of-2 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw-line. As a team, SMU shot 40 percent from
the field and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the free-throw-line, while the defense held the Pirates to 16.7 percent shooting from the field. In the last five minutes.
Four Mustangs had double-digit scoring performances, led by Alicia Froling’s 22 points and 12 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the year and 16th of her career. Froling went 8-for-11 from the field, while converting 6-of-6 free-throw attempts. McKenzie Adams was a rebound shy of a double-double, recording 19 points and nine rebounds. Collins tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks to tie the single-season blocks record. Wilkins finished with 10 points and six boards.
Leading 37-34 with 5:25 left in the third quarter, SMU scored five unanswered points to take a 42-34 lead with 4:01 remaining in the quarter. The Pirates snapped the run with two free throws to come within six, 42-36, but back-to-back lay-ups from Alicia Froling gave SMU a 10-point, 46-36, lead. East Carolina responded and closed the third quarter with a 9-3 run to cut the SMU lead down to four, 49-45.
SMU jumped out ahead early, outscoring the Pirates 12-9 in the opening quarter. The Mustangs expanded their lead to 11, 24-13 with 4:08 left in the second half, before East Carolina chipped its deficit down to four, 26-22 with two minutes left. SMU stretched its lead to eight with 1:04 left in the first half, before East Carolina used a 6-0 run to take a two-point, 30-28, deficit into the locker room.
SMU shot 40 percent from the field and made five 3-pointers, while holding the Pirates to 34.8 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from the 3-point arc. The Mustangs also converted 72.4 percent (21-of-29) from the free-throw-line.
