Simpson’s not-so-simple shots seal Mustang win

It was a barnburner Thursday night at Moody Coliseum as juniorforward Patrick Simpson sank two free throws with no time remainingin overtime to give the Mustangs the win over the Nevada Wolf Pack(7-4, 13-7), 71-70. Despite being only a 65 percent career freethrow shooter, Simpson was 100 percent solid at the line in theclutch.

The Mustangs found themselves down by one with 1.8 secondsremaining in the overtime period, Simpson was sent to the lineafter Nevada’s Kirk Snyder fouled him going after a fullcourt inbounds pass. Standing alone at the line, Simpson coolly hitthe two shots, as the crowd of 2,067 celebrated and let out a sighof relief after moments of clinched fists, crossed fingers, andracing hearts.

“I felt good when I went up to the line,” Simpsonsaid. “I was kind of hoping that the guys were going to lineup on the line, to give the shots more of a practice feel. But oncethe refs said there was no time remaining and they cleared themoff, it gave me some more confidence. I knew I’d hit clutchfree throws in the past.” For the night, Simpson shot7-for-10 at the free throw line.

The Mustangs, who clung to a slight lead throughout most of thesecond half appeared to have the game won in regulation afterjunior Eric Castro hit a clutch lay-up that put the Ponies ahead58-56. But after junior swingman Justin Isham collided withNevada’s Gary Hill-Thomas, the Wolf Pack was awarded two freethrows. Hill-Thomas sunk the two shots, sending the game into theextra period.

SMU sophomore point guard Bryan Hopkins led the ponies with 23points, followed by Simpson’s double-double, scoring 14points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Castro also added 10 points on thenight.

The Wolf Pack’s star player, forward Snyder shot 10-of-23from the field including three three-pointers and six free throwsfor a total of 29 points. Snyder also pulled in seven rebounds, butdespite his success in regulation, he fouled Simpson on the lastplay of the game giving Simpson the opportunity to win the game.Snyder played the entire game under the eyes of about 20 NBAscouts. Snyder is expected to be a top draft pick in the 2005 NBADraft.

With the win, SMU snaps a four-game losing streak and ups itsrecord to 9-11 overall, and 3-7 in Western Athletic Conferenceplay. The Mustangs’ last loss came against Boise State asJustin Isham’s last-minute shot fell short leaving theMustangs’ shot for a win short with the final score59-61.

After tonight’s loss Nevada falls to fourth place in theWAC standings.

“We had a bad run for a bit, but this is the second timethrough playing the WAC opponents. I think this is the one win weneed to get out confidence up and help us going into the WACTournament,” Simpson said.

The Mustangs next take on the Fresno State Bulldogs (6-4, 10-9)Saturday at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.