SMU Women Fall At Bowling Green

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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (SMU) – Senior Alisha Filmore led the Mustangs with 22 points, and SMU scored 50 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback at Bowling Green State as the Mustangs fell 76-70 in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

The Mustangs (21-10) shot 64.5 percent from the field, going 20-for-31 in the second half, erasing what was a 13-point lead at halftime to tie the score 57-57 with 5:31 left, but the Falcons (23-10) went on a 19-9 run to close out the game and take the victory on their home floor.

Filmore went 8-for-12 to score a team-high 22 points. Akil Simpson and Keena Mays each added 18, and Simpson grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Jillian Halfhill scored a game-high 23 points for the Falcons, who shot 50.9 percent in the win. Alexis Rogers scored 16 points, and Miriam Justinger and Jill Stein each added 10 points for the Falcons.

SMU finished the game 26-for-65 from the field, 40 percent, and matched the season-high for a Bowling Green opponent, going 10-for-23 from 3-point range, 43.5 percent. The Mustangs held the Falcons to just three 3-pointers in 10 attempts, but Bowling Green went 17-for-22 from the free throw line, while SMU made eight of 11 attempts.

The Mustangs won 20 games in a season for the ninth time in program history, all during the tenure of head coach Rhonda Rompola. SMU, who loses just one senior in Filmore, advanced to postseason play for the 18th time overall, and 12th time in the last 20 years.