SMU Women Fall To Tulane
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DALLAS (SMU) – Four players scored at least 10 points for the Mustangs, including Destynee Hives-McCray, who posted her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and a 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as SMU (20-7, 11-3 Conference USA) fell 73-68 to Tulane (21-6, 10-4 C-USA) in Moody Coliseum Thursday night.
Keena Mays scored with 38 seconds left to tie the game 68-68, but the Green Wave got an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession and Jamie Kaplan hit her only 3-pointer of the game with 11 seconds left to give Tulane the lead. The Mustangs were forced to foul after a turnover with three seconds left, and Kaplan hit both free throws for the five-point victory.
Mays took just three shots in the first half, but was 6-of-9 in the second half to finish with a team-high 15 points and five rebounds. Korina Baker went 3-for-5 from behind the arc to finish with 11 points and six assists, and Alisha Filmore scored 10 points with four assists and four rebounds. The Mustangs out-rebounded Tulane in the first half and pulled down 10 on the offensive end, but the Green Wave grabbed 25 in the second half, 13 offensive, while SMU managed just 14 with three offensive rebounds.
Both teams shot above 40 percent for the game, with SMU shooting 55.2 percent in the second half, 16-of-29, to finish at 43.5 percent from the floor, 27-of-62. Tulane went 29-of-69 from the field, 42.0 percent, and made seven of 21 shots from 3-point range.
Trailing 33-30 at halftime, SMU came out on fire in the second half to score the first eight points, including five by Mays, taking a 38-33 lead with 16:36 on the clock. The Mustangs matched their largest lead of the game just over six minutes into the second half on layup by Mays, 46-40 with 13:40 to play, but the Green Wave evened the score 48-48 just under two minutes later. SMU stretched it back to six, 62-56 with 3:45 left, on 3’s by Filmore and Korina Baker. Still leading by six, 64-58, with just under three minutes remaining, Tulane went on a 15-4 run to take the win.
The Mustangs host UTEP Sunday at 2 p.m. in the final game in Moody Coliseum before the renovation. Tickets are just $1 and can be purchased by calling 214-SMU-GAME or by visiting SMUMustangs.com.
