The women’s basketball team (16-4, 7-3 WAC) ousted the Nevada Wolf Pack (5-15, 1-9 WAC) in a physical battle last night at Moody Coliseum, 64-55.
After freshman Janielle Dodds helped SMU obtain possession on the opening tip-off, each team scored within the first 25 seconds of play. The Mustangs charged to a 6-2 lead thanks to three-pointers from junior Sarah Davis and sophomore Katie Gross.
A pesky problem would present itself early as Nevada’s Meghan McGuire poured in eight of the Wolf Pack’s first 10 points. She penetrated the SMU defense on more than one occasion, running past forwards Davis and Dodds en route to the basket.
McGuire went on to score a team-high 16 while pulling in six rebounds.
After Nevada tied the game at 10, senior forward Shonte Roberts hit an in-motion jumper to spark a Mustang rally. Dodds capped off the 11-1 charge with a fast break lay-up at the 8:46 mark, pushing the SMU lead to 21-11.
The Wolf Pack retaliated with an offensive run of their own. Led by a barrage of field goals from Jessica Preslar, Nevada closed the score to 24-22 with less than five minutes to play in the first half.
As the buzzer sounded and SMU players headed toward s their locker room, officials indicated that a last-second foul by Davis would leave the Wolf Pack’s Talisha Anderson at the free throw line. With no time left on the clock, Anderson nailed both shots to cut the Mustangs’ halftime lead to 33-30.
The second period began much slower than the first for both teams. In the first five minutes of the half, SMU and Nevada combined for just 10 points while racking up 16 missed shots.
The Mustangs would regain control with contributions from Davis, Roberts and freshman Katy Cobb. Davis, who paced the team with 19 points, hit a lay-up with just over 12 minutes remaining to push SMU’s lead to nine.
In addition to the ‘Stangs sharp shooting, a combination of mental and physical errors by Nevada played a role in the Wolf Pack’s loss, as the team ended up committing 16 turnovers. SMU made the most of the opportunities, garnering 16 points off of these turnovers with 13 second-chance points to go.
One of the turnovers came when junior guard Kendall Shead stripped Preslar of the ball to regain possession for the Mustangs. After driving the length of the court, Shead dazzled fans with a between-the-legs pass to Cobb, who caught defenders off guard with a swift transition back out to Dodds.
McGuire would come back to bite the Mustangs once again as the end of regulation neared. With 6:11 to go, she sank a three-pointer that cut SMU’s lead to 52-49.
Soon after, a lay-up by April Bankston would pull the Wolf Pack to within one, causing head coach Rhonda Rompola to become quite lively and motivated while pacing the sideline.
It would be the closest Nevada would get to sniffing a victory though, as Dodds took charge and scored seven points in a row to push the Mustang cushion back to eight.
After winning four of their last five games, the women will host Fresno State (12-7, 4-6 WAC) tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
