SMU Women Lose To USC

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DALLAS (SMU) – A late rally pushed the USC Trojans past the SMU women’s basketball team, 64-57, in the championship game of the SMU Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday night at Moody Coliseum.

“Our start was very flat in the second half,” said head coach Rhonda Rompola. “We played tentative and made poor decisions with the ball. It’s frustrating. It came down to turnovers and free throw shooting.”

With the Mustangs trailing by just two points with 5:23 remaining in the game, USC (4-1) went on a 6-0 run to build a 55-47 lead. Despite a late push in the closing minutes, SMU (3-3) could not overcome the eight-point deficit.

Junior forward Destynee Hives-McCray scored eight points and grabbed 13 boards, earning all-tournament honors. Freshman forward Taylor Brame and junior guard Gabrielle Wilkins tied for a team high in scoring with 12 points apiece, while freshman forward Alicia Froling was the third Mustang in double figures, chipping in with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Mustangs continued their strong play on the defensive end in the loss. A night after holding Florida A&M to 19.1 percent shooting, the Mustangs bottled up the USC offense as the Trojans shot just 23.5% from the field in the first half.

The stingy defense gave SMU a 23-18 lead at the break. However, the Trojan attack came alive in the second half, as USC scored 46 of their 64 points after the break.

The Trojans’ Kaneisha Horn led all scorers with 13 points, while tournament MVP Alexyz Vaioletama added 11 points and five rebounds.

“We’re going to be more strict about turnovers,” said Rompola. “We talked about that before the game. That could make a difference in the game and it did make a difference in the game.”