DALLAS, TEXAS — SMU adds another impressive victory to their resume, beating Memphis 58-53 on Tuesday night in Dallas. The game extends the Mustangs home win streak to 9 games. The Mustangs head into March and the final stretch of American Athletic Conference play at (19-8) overall and (9-6) in the conference.
SMU controlled the first half of the game, gradually opening it up. The Mustangs took a 12-point lead into half time. SMU guard Kendric Davis did a great job moving the ball offensively, and breaking Memphis’ full court press. Tyson Jolly hit a big 3 point shot to put an end to the Tigers only small offensive run of the half.
The beginning of the second half was competitive on both ends but SMU maintained their consistent lead. SMU lead by as many as 15 points midway through the second half. Memphis cut the lead to 6 with less than 2 minutes to go, but SMU finished strong and played one of their better games overall. Head coach, Tim Jankovich talked about his teams’ dominant defensive performance and said he was proud of their fight and grit.
SMU’s leading scorers were Tyson Jolly, Ethan Chargois and Kendric Davis. Jolly lead the team with a double double, scoring 13 points, with 10 rebounds. Chargois and Davis both scored 12-points and Davis contributed 6 very important assists.
Memphis held a national ranking early in the year, but they aren’t the same without James Wiseman, who turned pro in the middle of the season after dealing with an NCAA eligibility issue, based on a payment he took from coach Hardaway, prior to his acceptance of the job at Memphis. SMU won the first match up between the teams by 4-points at Memphis, exactly a month ago, so tonight helped them sweep their regular season matchups.
The Mustangs have an outstanding (15-1) home record to carry them into their final home game of the season. The Mustangs host Wichita State on Sunday, March 1. After Sunday, the Mustangs hit the road for the final week of regular season. The conference tournament will be at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, March 12-15.
