The Mustangs found the gold at the end of the rainbow with an 89-81 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Feb. 10.
Boopie Miller had 18 points in the first half but only two in the second half, finishing with 20. The opposite can be said for his counterpart, Jaron Pierre Jr. Pierre Jr. led SMU through the second with a 22-point performance, reaching a major career milestone– 2000 collegiate points– along the way.
When asked about the shift between the two guards, Miller kept it simple,
“If I’m off, Jaron gotta pick it up. If he’s off, I gotta pick it up,” Miller said.
SMU came out fast with Corey Washington being the focal point to start the game, shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field and 2-2 beyond the arc, compiling a quick nine points before the first media timeout. The game turned into a shootout with both teams stringing together possessions, but SMU controlled the rebound and turnover battle. This came to a stop when Notre Dame scored eight straight points to make it 24-22, and the game stayed relatively close throughout the rest of the half. Even with a slugfest on both sides of the court, SMU kept a six-point, 43-37 lead at the intermission.
In the first half, the ‘Stangs were able to silence Notre Dame’ top three scorers to 10-points or less between each of the three. Offensively, SMU ran through its leader, Miller, with 18 points and four assists. The defensive struggles continued; however, for the Mustangs, the Irish would make them pay in the second half.
Notre Dame came out on an 8-0 run, giving it the lead for the first time since the 17:43 mark in the first half. Free throws from Samet Yiğitoğlu would bring a spark to the team, leading the charge alongside Washington to go on an 8-0 run and regain the lead at 56-50. After a quick timeout, the floodgates opened offensively, adding to its lead expanding its run to a 14-0 run led by Pierre Jr. Notre Dame looked to fight back, but it wasn’t enough. The play of the game went to Pierre Jr. for a windmill dunk, sending Moody Coliseum into an absolute frenzy. From there, positive offensive possessions and clutch free throws were all SMU needed to secure its second straight conference win.
Coach Andy Enfield highlighted the hustle plays by the likes of Jaden Toombs, Yiğitoğlu and Washington, who made key rebounds late in the game.
“Nothing about scoring the ball, just those winning plays, and our guys made 3 or 4 of them,” Enfield said.
Pierre Jr. surpassed the 2000 point milestone in tonight’s winning effort. With SMU being his fourth school in four years, Pierre Jr. has learned a lot in his time in college. When asked about what he’s learned, his answer surprisingly had nothing to do with his scoring ability.
“I would say for me, being younger to now, not reacting to everything, but at the same time learning how to accept rules.” Pierre Jr. said. “I have my own confidence and I’m comfortable in my own skin, but learning how to be uncomfortable and making things work and putting winning before everything.”
With the win, SMU advances to 17-7 overall (6-5 ACC) and Notre Dame falls to 11-14 (2-10 ACC).
The Mustangs travel to upstate New York to take on the Syracuse Orange on Saturday at 1 pm CT on the CW Network, and will return home for a very important top-25 rematch against Louisville on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 6 pm CT on ESPN 2.
