DALLAS, TEXAS — SMU dropped their first game of the season to nationally ranked Houston, 74-60 on Sunday night. Preseason polls picked UH as the team to beat, so SMU still has everything to play for, sitting at 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the American Athletic Conference. UH moves to 8-1 overall, and 3-1 in the AAC.
Offensive production has been the Mustangs most consistent aspect of their game, averaging over 84 points per game prior their game with Houston. 5 Mustangs were averaging over 10 points a game, but tonight only Kendric Davis, Feron Hunt and Ethan Chargois were able to get to that double digit mark. Davis lead the team with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Hunt had a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Chargois had 10 points, 7 of which were during the Mustangs impressive first half.
The game was physical, with constant lead changes in the first half. The game was tied at 30 with less than a minute to play in the half, when Jr. Point Guard, Kendric Davis made a huge and 1 bucket, helping the Mustangs take a 33-32 point lead into the break.
SMU Head Coach, Tim Jankovich knew his team needed to rebound well to have success against the talented UH team, who leads the conference in rebounding margin. UH out rebounded SMU in the second half, allowing them to take control of the game down the stretch. Jankovich also pointed to a lack of poise and offensive production as part of the Mustangs second half struggles.
SMU and UH meet again at the end of the month for their second and final regular season matchup. Both teams are still in play to win the conference, with several important games between now and March. The Mustangs will have their next chance at victory on Thursday night, hosting the Cincinnati Bearcats.
