ABILENE – Freshman Kayla Galindo scored 14 bench points for the Wildcats, but SMU's trio of Kiara Perry (12), Ariana Whitfield (18) and McKenzie Adams (20) easily countered the rookie's effort with a combined 50 points in the Mustangs' 65-44 win over Abilene Christian Tuesday night at Moody Coliseum.
ACU fell to 3-1 with the loss, while SMU improved to 2-3 – snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Wildcats trailed by double digits most of the night, but sophomore guard Breanna Wright (9 points) hit a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter that trimmed their deficit to 12 points (47-35). Unfortunately, ACU would not score on its next trip down the court and a personal foul at the opposite end ignited a significant 17-6 run for the Mustangs, during which the home team would grab its largest lead of the night (24 points).
SMU outscored the Wildcats in all four quarters, shooting 47.3 percent (26-55) for the game. The Mustangs also were successful on 5-13 3-point attempts (.385) and 8-9 free throws (.889).
By comparison, ACU shot 33.3 percent from the floor (16-48) and 3-point range (7-21). Free-throw shooting again was a challenge for the Wildcats as they made just 5-of-12 tries (.417) from the charity stripe.
Rebounds were close to even with SMU pulling down 33 with 24 of those coming off the defensive glass. ACU had 32 led by Taudenciah Oluoch's six.
But where the Mustangs did their most damage was in the turnover game as they converted 20 ACU turnovers into 13 points. They also enjoyed a 26-16 point advantage in the paint.
"We did a poor job executing tonight on the offensive end," said head coach
Julie Goodenough. "SMU possesses tremendous size and strength and that got us a little off our game plan tonight, but we have to learn how to compete against these types of teams because there are plenty of them around the Southland Conference.
"We came in prepared, but again I'm disappointed in our execution. Overall though we learned a lot about our team and what we need to work on moving forward."
Both teams experienced tough offensive first quarters as evident by a combined two field goals after the first media time out. Wright hit a trey at the 4:41 mark to make it a 10-5 game and the Mustangs countered with a 17-foot jumper by Whitfield, who scored nine first-quarter points on 4-4 shooting.
The two sides also combined for 16 turnovers. ACU's nine miscues led to five Mustang points, and Wright's trey followed a shot-clock violation by Whitfield.
SMU's offense didn't stay quiet for long, matching their first-quarter point total (12) within the first 3:18 of the second stanza. The Mustangs received a trey from Whitfield on their first possession and later hit three-consecutive field goals within a 90-second span to force ACU into a timeout, which was trailing 24-9.
The Wildcats went on to outscore the Mustangs, 7-6, following the stoppage taken with 6:42 remaining. ACU received a trey off the bench from Galindo with 4:17 to go and made its last bucket of the first half (Sierra Allen) at the 2:43 mark.
Allen grabbed her own offensive rebound to earn that bucket, which cut the SMU lead to 10 (28-18); however, the Mustangs responded with another basket by Whitfield with 1:57 remaining.
SMU went into the halftime break up 12 points at 30-18 on 50 percent shooting (12-24). Whitfield totaled 14 first-half points and 18 for the game.
ACU in the third quarter trailed by as many as 18 points after McKenzie Adams buried a trey, but soon afterward the Wildcats took off on a 9-2 run. Galindo scored six points during this stretch, including back-to-back treys within 23 seconds of one another. Her second 3-pointer made it a 43-31 game, and Lexi Kirgan later sank a free throw to get within 11.
However, two unfortunate fouls in the final minute led to four points for the Mustangs and they took a 47-32 lead into the final quarter.
"Kayla is a fearless player," said Goodenough, "she played tonight with confidence and intensity, and I think our tempo was faster on the court when she was out there."
The Wildcats are off from competition Thanksgiving weekend and return to action a week from Wednesday for their first trip to Fayetteville, Ark. and the University of Arkansas. The Razorbacks are off to a 3-1 start, which includes a win over Sam Houston State, and will play at a tournament this weekend hosted by UTEP prior to welcoming ACU to Bud Walton Arena.
The ACU vs. Arkansas game will be live streamed on SEC Network+.
