DALLAS, TEXAS — SMU Men’s Basketball took another tough loss, this time to Cincinnati, in a 76-69 point heartbreaker. SMU took the court looking to bounce back after their 1st loss of the season, to then #5 Houston earlier in the week. The Mustangs are 6-2 overall and 2-2 in American Athletic Conference play. The 3-6 Bearcats broke a 5-game losing streak, earning their first conference win.
SMU’s 69 points ended up well under the 80.7 they had averaged prior to Thursday night. Jr. Point Guard, Kendric Davis led SMU’s scoring with 14 points. The Mustangs other double-digit contributors were Emmanuel Bandoumel (14), and Dariius McNeill (10).
Stat wise, Jr. Forward, Yor Anei was the bright spot for the Mustangs. Anei has made a huge impact for SMU, just 4 games into his time with the team. He has 12 blocked shots, averaging 3 per game, including 3 against UC.
SMU Head Coach, Tim Jankovich leads the Mustangs in his 5th season as head coach, currently holding the highest winning percentage of any men’s basketball coach in school history. Jankovich pointed to missed free throws and a lack of offensive consistency as key factors in the Bearcats comeback.
The first half was hard fought on both sides. SMU wasn’t able to get into a rhythm offensively early but seemed to be working into it as the game went on. Headed to the break, SMU led 37-32. SMU led most of the second half, handing over the lead with less than 2 minutes to go.
Regular season conference play continues through the beginning of March in a double round robin format. SMU remains in the race for the regular season conference title, with a chance to get their 2nd win over Temple in the teams last regular season meeting Monday, Jan. 11th. The AAC Conference Tournament will be in Ft. Worth, March 11th-14.
