The SMU women’s basketball team will host the University of Memphis Tigers tonight in Moody Coliseum.
The game will be a part of the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association “Think Pink” auction to raise awareness for breast cancer.
Should the Mustangs win, they will continue on what has become a three-game conference winning streak after collecting a pair of wins on the road over the weekend.
The Mustangs’ last loss at Moody Coliseum was on Jan. 31st to the University of Texas-El Paso. Prior to also losing to Tulsa on the 26th at home, SMU was riding an eight-game winning streak in Moody Coliseum.
Defeating both Rice and Houston on the road this weekend, SMU is now 17-6 overall, and 7-3 in Conference USA. The Mustangs are one loss behind No. 2 Houston in conference standings, and tied at seven conference wins with the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
The Tigers are 7-16 overall, and 4-6 in the conference, posting two conference wins on the road this season after a 78-68 victory against Central Florida in Orlando over the weekend.
In a 74-51 victory over Houston on Saturday, the Mustangs now have 11 games over .500 for the first time since the 2003-04 season when the team won 12 of its first 13 games.
Prior to heading into tonight’s game, SMU is averaging 72.8 points per game, holding a 6.8 point advantage over its opponents. SMU will look to the team’s leading scorer, senior post Janielle Dodds, to lead the team to a win over the Tigers.
Currently posting 1,697 in her career and averaging 14.8 points per game, Dodds needs only 89 more points to surpass Karlin Kennedy to take over in first place.
The Mustangs are currently ranked second in scoring offense within the conference, averaging 72.8 points per game in C-USA. SMU also came in on top, shooting 77.8 percent from the line, the highest free-throw percentage in C-USA.
Another statistic that could sway in SMU’s favor is Memphis’ rank in rebounding defense. The Tigers are ranked last in the conference for defensive rebounds with a low 42.7 percent for the season.
SMU’s defense faces a challenge in Memphis’ leading scorer Jessica Hall who has been averaging 12.9 points per game. While the Tigers are only averaging 67.1 points per game, with a negative 7.7 scoring margin, Memphis continues to struggle for wins on the road.
Tip-off is scheduled for tonight at 7.
