Coming off of three straight losses the SMU Women’s Basketball team were desperate for a win. Luckily, they drew up the University of Houston as the next game on their schedule.

SMU rallied the troops with four players recording double-digit point totals. As a result, the Lady Mustangs easily beat the Lady Cougars 73-60 at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Akil Simpson was the star for SMU in this game, as the senior forward picked up her seventh double-double of the season amassing 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Assisting their teammate were senior guard Keena Mays and senior forward Mallory Singleton. Mays put together 17 points and seven boards, while Singleton corralled 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Mustangs beat the Cougars through tenacious defense. While SMU shot 46 percent from the field, they held Houston to an anemic 29 percent. That low percentage helped SMU win the rebound battle 50-37.

The Lady Mustangs also shot their three-pointers at an accurate rate. They shot six for 11 from behind the arc, while the Lady Cougars only mustered three makes on 14 attempts.

SMU did some of their best work in the first half, as they were able to end it with a 15-point lead of 40-25. They shot 50 percent in the first half while holding the Cougars to a mere 26 percent.

Despite losing rather handily, the Lady Cougars were able to get two strong performances from members of the frontcourt.

Te’onna Campbell, a senior forward, hoisted up 19 shots and ended up with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Yasmeen Thompson, the Cougar’s senior center, only shot the ball four times, but ended up with 15 points on nine free throw makes. Thompson also grabbed 12 rebounds.

After dropping Houston to 0-8 in conference play, the Mustangs return home for a match-up with the University of Cincinnati, another team struggling within the conference at 2-6. That game will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m.