SMU’s Jon Killen played the entire game in Derrick Robert’s absence. Killen had six points and six assists. It was the third game in a row that Roberts missed. (Nick McCarthy)
The Mustangs finally cleared a hurdle that has plagued them in their first three attempts, winning a conference game on the road.
SMU’s 60-56 win over the UAB Blazers in Birmingham, Ala., is the first road victory for the Mustangs since the 64-62 buzzer-beating victory at TCU on Dec. 21.
And SMU was able to get it done without shooting guard Derrick Roberts for the third straight game due to a knee injury.
The Mustangs trailed the Blazers by just one going into halftime thanks to 10 points from Bamba Fall in the first half alone.
Fall finished the game with a team-high 16 points, helped by another strong 4-4 showing from the free-throw line.
SMU is slowly getting over the turnover bug. A team that has had problems holding onto the basketball is finding a way to keep possession. After turning the ball over 19 times in the four-point loss to Tulsa, the Mustangs turned things around and only gave the ball up 13 times last night, one fewer time than UAB. SMU capitalized on the Blazers’ mistakes with a total of 20 points, while UAB could only manage 11 points.
Jon Killen continues to play with consistency. Killen had eight points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals while playing the entire 40 minutes. He leads the team in assists and steals.
The Mustangs had spurts of offense in the first half that saw the team gain leads of 9-5 and 17-11 early, but they allowed UAB to come back and the Mustangs were forced to play catch-up.
After falling behind as much as 21-26, the Mustangs scored five of the last six points in the half to go into the locker room down by only one.
The Mustangs found their offense in the second half. SMU had a 39 percent shooting percentage in both halves, but was able to take more attempts and that led to more points.
SMU also benefited from out-rebounding the Blazers 33-26 and scoring 13 second-chance points off the rebounds.
Ike Ofoegbu scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. But it was Ofoegbu’s three-point shot that led to a 16-2 run in the second half that helped seal the game for the Mustangs.
However, the Mustangs still have issues with scoring late.
After a Brian Epps field goal with 5:03 left in the game, SMU didn’t make another basket from the floor the rest of the game. The final three points of the game were scored from the free-throw line. The Epps basket with 5:03 left gave the Mustangs a 10-point lead. During the drought for SMU, the Blazers were able to come as close as within three with 13 seconds left.
Epps stepped up once again in the Roberts’ absence. In Saturday’s loss to Tulsa, Epps scored 14 points. Epps matched that total in Wednesday’s victory by making a free throw with nine seconds left to give SMU a two-possession lead. He also added four rebounds and a steal.
SMU is now 13-8 on the season and improved to 2-5 in C-USA.
But the road doesn’t get any easier for the Mustangs as they face No. 11 Memphis on the road Saturday afternoon. The game will be televised on ESPN at 11 a.m.
