Three Mustangs combined for 66 points in a much-needed 95-85 home win over No. 21 Louisville on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
6,326 fans packed into Moody Coliseum to watch SMU claim its second-ranked win and fourth Quad 1win of the season, improving to 18-8 overall on the season. Jaron Pierre Jr. continued to excel, collecting a team-high 25 points and seven rebounds. Boopie Miller scored 23 with nine assists while only turning the ball over three times.
Corey Washington scored 18 points, his highest since Jan. 3, making all three of his three-point attempts. Washington said that SMU’s 88-74 loss to Louisville just 18 days prior provided SMU with extra motivation.
“That loss that we had to [Louisville] last time around definitely fueled us,” Washington said. “We didn’t want that happening again.”
Though he only had seven points, BJ Edwards played a big role in the win, stealing the ball three times and providing seven assists. Sophomore Samet Yiğitoğlu struggled early, but finished with nine points. The Mustangs shot the ball with elite precision, connecting on 58.5% of their shot attempts.
“[SMU] made a lot of tough shots,” Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey said. “When you let good scorers get in a rhythm like that, they see it go in and it becomes easy for them.”
For Louisville, probable first-round draft pick Mikel Brown Jr. scored 29 points, but SMU did force the freshman to turn the ball over seven times. SMU head coach Andy Enfield said 29 points from Brown Jr. was a win for his defense.
“Well, we held him to 29 points,” Enfield said. “We said anything under 30 we’re good.”
The two highest-scoring offenses in the ACC played as advertised in the first half, as both teams seemed unable to miss a shot. Louisville drained nine three-pointers, while SMU made 60% of its field goal attempts. SMU quickly fell behind 5-0, but bounced back quickly behind seven early points for Washington. Edwards drained a jumper with 6:05 left in the half to give SMU a 38-30 lead– the largest for either team in the first period.
“I’ve never seen a half like that in college basketball,” Enfield said. “Offensively, the shot making was spectacular. The fans got a treat in that first half.”
Louisville fought its way back into the game, primarily on three-point attempts. 19 of Louisville’s 34 shot attempts in the first half came from beyond the arc. The Cardinals retook the lead at 49-47 with a minute to play. However, Washington scored and drew a foul for a three-point play, and Pierre Jr. drove for a layup to give the Mustangs a 52-49 lead entering the locker room.
The scoring barrage quieted down to open the second half, but neither team relented as the two teams exchanged leads five times in the first ten minutes. The lead would be passed back and forth for another four minutes until Washington drained back-to-back three-point attempts and Miller swished a tough 20-foot jump shot, putting SMU ahead 81-76.
“[Washington’s] two threes in a row were probably the key to the game,” Enfield said. “He was terrific. Every time he shoots it, we think it’s going in.”
SMU’s defense improved at shutting down Louisville’s best shooters in the waning minutes, forcing turnovers and bad shots to hold onto the lead. Whereas the Mustangs turned the ball over just 10 times, Louisville surrendered 17. Louisville’s shooting percentage fell from 52.9% in the first half to 36.4% in the second half.
“We defended much better tonight,” Enfield said. “Our guys challenged their shots, and we did a good job of rebounding the ball.”
Pierre Jr. and Miller took over for the remainder of the game, exchanging free throws, layups and even an alley-oop slam to put the game out of reach. The 95-85 victory netted SMU its 18th win of the season and seventh in conference play.
“I feel like we were a second-half team tonight,” Miller said.
Paired with the Jan. 3 victory over then-No. 12 North Carolina, Tuesday’s win marked SMU’s first season since 2013-14 with two ranked home wins. Coach Enfield said the game was a crucial win for SMU’s postseason hopes.
“This was really important,” Enfield said. “You have to beat teams like this to go to the NCAA tournament, you have to beat teams like this to get a decent seed. Our goal is to get to March Madness, but we’re not there yet.”
With just five regular-season games left on the schedule, SMU remains well within the race for its first March Madness bid since 2017. The Mustangs play at home versus 9-17 Boston College on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3:00 p.m.
