The Lady Mustangs (8-6, 12-11) could not prevail in one of theirtightest games of the season against the sixth-ranked LouisianaTech Lady Bulldogs (13-1, 20-2) on Saturday night.
In front of 1,893 fans, the Mustangs started out aggressivelynailing their first five shots.
In the first half alone, sophomore guard Kaira White scored 14points. To counter White’s effort, Trina Frierson of the LadyBulldogs scored 20 in the first half for her team.
The first half was tight and featured seven lead changes andthree ties. However, it was the Lady Mustangs who took a 42-40 leadinto halftime.
In the second half the struggle continued.
SMU kept the game close trailing by only two with 5:23 left toplay. The team continued to keep the game close and found itselfdown by only three with three minutes left to go.
Neither team led by more than five points until the final twominutes of the game.
However, the Lady Bulldogs would not be denied their12th-straight win and capitalized on Lady Mustang fouls and a 7-0run to win the game 89-79.
The Mustangs kept the game close by taking advantage of 15Louisiana Tech turnovers boosted by 11 Lady Mustang steals.
For the sixth-ranked Lady Bulldogs, Amisha Carter led allscorers with 33 points and 17 rebounds.
Frierson solidified her first half effort and finished with 29points and 11 rebounds.
The win gave Louisiana Tech its 20th victory of the season. Theseason marks its 13th consecutive 20-win season.
SMU falls to 0-15 against the Lady Bulldogs all time.
For the Lady Mustangs, White finished with a career-high 24points and added four rebounds. Her effort included shooting5-of-12 from three-point range.
In the game, the Lady Mustangs attempted a school record 32three-pointers and hit 12 of them.
Other players to contribute for the Lady Mustangs included guardKendall Shead, who scored 16 points and made five rebounds, andguard Shanta Ramdhanny, who got 16 points for the night.
SMU now sits in fifth place in the WAC standings, whileLouisiana Tech remains in the top spot, where they have been formost of the season.
The Lady Mustangs next take on Boise State in Boise on Thursday.The road trip marks the start of the team’s last road tripbefore the season-ending Western Athletic Conferencetournament.
