TCU’s J.R. Cadot drives along the baseline against San Diego State Saturday. SMU and TCU will face off Wednesday evening in Moody Coliseum. (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)

SMU women’s basketball played what was considered one of their toughest games yet against Memphis. Playing at Moody Coliseum Thursday night, the Mustangs took a tough 60-55 loss within the last minutes of the game.

Memphis, wearing pink shoes and shirts in efforts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer, came ready to play against the Mustangs. The game began strong and stayed powerful throughout the entire game as both teams were vying for the win.

However, coming off the tough loss against Tulane 75-63 did not get the Mustangs down as they did not let Memphis lead by more than three points the entire first half.

The score had been tied seven times with three lead changes when SMU went into halftime with a four-point lead over Memphis, 38-34.

While the Mustangs out scored the Tigers during the first half, the game took a quick reverse as Memphis took control.

Dominating on defense, Memphis only allowed SMU to score 19 points the last half of the game as they sailed by with 37 points.

Simpson, a sophomore forward from Duncanville, Texas, is currently leading Conference USA in scoring. During Thursday night’s game, Simpson led the way for SMU with 14 points and a solid 11 rebounds.

The women’s basketball program won’t have much time to shake off the loss as they gear up for another home game Sunday against Southern Mississippi. The ladies, coming off of a win/loss last night against Memphis, are hoping to keep the momentum going and picking up momentum with a win this weekend.

SMU sophomore, Akil Simpson was named Conference USA’s Player of the Week for the second time this season. She averaged 21 points per game last week, including 17 points against Houston and a career-high of 25 points against Tulane.

Much to Tulane’s despair, Simpson also earned her sixth double-double of the season that night, collecting 10 rebounds along with her 25 points.

Simpson was 16 for 26 from the field and 10 for 11 from the line in the two conference games, earning an outstanding field goal percentage of 61.5 percent.

The Mustangs, following Simpson’s lead, are 12-10 for the season and 5-4 in conference play.

Not only is the game this weekend important for conference standings, but this Sunday is also National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

SMU will be holding an auction during the game to raise money and awareness for the “Play for Kay” initiative, which benefits breast cancer research.

The “Play for Kay” fund is named in honor of the late North Carolina State University coach Kay Yow, who passed away after fighting her third bout with breast cancer in 2009.

Yow was a past president and founding member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), and made a huge impact on many women in the basketball community. The aim of the fund is to one day “hold claim to funding one or several research projects that ultimately lead to a cure for cancer.”

For those of you planning on cheering the girls to a win, make sure to come early at 11:45 a.m. for Fan Fest in Crum Auditorium.

Tip-off is set for this Sunday at 1 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. The game will also be televised on CBS Sports Network.