SMU Forward Leslee Smith dunks the ball against an Oklahoma State University opponent at the American Airlines Center Dec. 28, 2011. Including Saturday’s loss to Tulsa, the Mustangs are 10-11 overall. (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)

During a tough match-up, SMU was unable to challenge the University of Tulsa’s offense leading to a 66-60 loss for the Mustangs Saturday at Moody Coliseum.

“It’s frustrating but we have to keep our heads up,” SMU head coach Matt Doherty said in regards to the loss.

For the first half Tulsa came out of the locker room with guns blazing to quickly gain a 5-0 lead.

Thanks to senior Robert Nyakundi’s slam dunk at the 15 minute marker, the Mustangs were finally able to enter the ball game. Shortly after the exciting dunk SMU’s London Giles found himself at the free throw line to connect two shots.

However, the Mustang’s four team points didn’t do much as the Golden Hurricane’s Jordan Clarkson was quick to put 10 points on the scoreboard.

Tulsa had full control of the ball game before red-shirt freshman Leslee Smith cut the gap to 14-12 with a shot from beyond the arc.

Despite their efforts, the Mustang Stampede found themselves undersized and lacking defensive energy when the buzzer announced the finish of the first half.

As the crowd began losing steam, SMU left for the locker room trailing by five.

When the second period began SMU seemed to be revamped from the break. A series of buckets and successful trips to the free throw line put the team on top for the first time with a score of 38-37. Although SMU proved to be hustling, the Tulsa offense didn’t stay behind for long.

Only seconds later SMU lost the lead as quickly as they gained it and TU went on an 11-4 run.

A series of missed shots and fouls led to SMU finding themselves down by six.

For the final minutes of the game SMU and TU began a routine of switching places at the free throw line and fans began to pack up.

Just as the game was over, Nyakundi put up a 3-point basket at the final buzzer.

Nyakundi led SMU with 18 points and four rebounds but it was TU’s Clarkson who led all scorers with 22 points and six rebounds.

Tulsa finished the game shooting 23-44 from the field and 10-17 from downtown.

SMU was only able to complete 19-45 field goal shots and 6-11 from 3-point range.

Saturday’s game marks the third of a losing streak for the Mustangs. To Doherty, the team is missing a spark that is needed to finish the game.

“We were in position to win all of those games but we didn’t,” said Doherty, “It’s sports.”

Starting point guard for the Mustangs Jeremiah Samarrippas is confident that the season will get better.

“We’ve been getting good shots,” said Samarrippas, “It’s just a matter of the ball going in the hole.”

After suffering from a torn ACL this summer, Leslee Smith is back in the game but noticing some differences in his ability to play.

“Before I was a lot more athletic but now sometimes my footwork can get a little shaky,” said Smith.

While he may seem “shaky,” Smith was the second leading scorer for the Mustangs with 10 points.

SMU will look to end their three-game skid when they travel to Greenville, N.C. to face off with the ECU Pirates Wednesday. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.