SMU Women Top TCU In OT
GARLAND, Texas (SMU) – Keena Mays scored 22 points in the second half and overtime, finishing with 25 points to lead SMU to a 72-68 win over TCU in overtime at the Curtis Culwell Center Wednesday night. With 22 seconds left and the Mustangs leading by four, freshman Kiara Perry stole the ball at midcourt and made a fastbreak layup to give SMU a 70-64 lead with 18 seconds left, sealing the win over the rival Horned Frogs.
Midway through the second half, Donielle Breaux recaptured the lead for TCU (1-1), hitting a 3-pointer with 12:01 left to give the Horned Frogs a 41-39 lead. TCU stretched the lead to 12, 57-45 with 6:27 left, before Mays took control of the game. The SMU senior hit a three, then converted a three-point play at the free throw line on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead in half, 57-51 with 5:56 remaining in regulation.
The Mustangs (2-0) took the lead with 2:35 on the clock when Korina Baker made her first 3-pointer of the game to give SMU a 59-58 lead. Zahna Medley tied the game on a free throw with 1:40 left, but missed the second. Neither defense caved down the stretch, with both teams missing shots in the final 30 seconds to send the game to overtime.
After a TCU free throw, SMU scored seven unanswered points to take
a 66-60 lead just over two minutes into the overtime period. Mays had seven of her 25 in the final five minutes, and Perry scored four, including what proved to be the game winner.
Perry finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gabrielle Wilkins recorded the second double-double of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds, matching Destynee Hives-McCray for the team high. Hives-McCray had 10 rebounds with five points. Akil Simpson scored 11 points before picking up her fifth foul, giving SMU four players in double figures for the second straight game.
SMU finished the game shooting 33.8 percent, and despite getting out-rebounded 49-43, held TCU to just two second-chance points, while scoring 11. The Mustangs also turned 21 TCU turnovers into 21 points, while allowing just 11 points off turnovers.
The Mustangs went on a 15-0 run, taking a 15-8 lead after TCU scored the first three field goals and hit a pair of free throws for an 8-0 lead. Destynee Hives-McCray scored the first two points for SMU, and Gabrielle Wilkins hit two 3-pointers during the run. SMU held TCU to just three field goals over the last 13 minutes of the half, and stretched the lead to as many as 11, 22-11, but the Horned Frogs went 5-for-6 at the free throw line over the last 1:13 to cut the lead to five, 27-22, at halftime.
SMU was out-rebounded 27-16 in the first half, but didn’t give up any second chance points to the Horned Frogs. SMU also scored 10 points on 12 TCU turnovers, while limiting the Horned Frogs to just two points on six SMU turnovers. SMU shot 31.0 percent in the first half, going 9-for-29 from the floor with three 3-pointers. TCU was 6-for-24, 25 percent, and SMU held the Horned Frogs to just one basket from behind the arc.
The Mustangs travel to Cheney, Wash., for the their first road contest of the season, facing Eastern Washington Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The next home game for SMU is scheduled for Nov. 19 against Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m. in the Curtis Culwell Center.
