The Mustangs’ loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday was pretty frustrating to watch, especially considering that we’ve seen the same script play out many times this year at Moody Coliseum.
The Mustangs played well enough to beat one of the best squads in Conference USA and, at one point in the first half, looked like they were the second-place team beating up on the conference cellar dweller – not the other way around.
But the Mustangs once again were not able to finish. The team’s talent and effort can’t be questioned, but one has to wonder when the Mustangs will finally shake their late-game demons and capture their signature victory.
“They’re learning and still figuring things out,” said head coach Matt Doherty after the game. “It’s frustrating, but it’s all part of rebuilding a program.”
The loss concluded a rough seven-day stretch for the Mustangs.
It was the third game in a row that SMU had blown a double-digit, second-half lead to a conference opponent, with two of those games resulting in losses. Previously, the Mustangs had let hefty leads melt away against the University of Rice and the University of Texas-El Paso.
SMU rallied in the final minutes to beat Rice 69-66 at Moody Coliseum on Feb. 21, but the Mustangs were not as fortunate last Wednesday on the road against UTEP, as the Miners dug themselves out of a 15-point hole with 13:29 to play and won in overtime.
Saturday’s loss was no less frustrating for Doherty’s young team.
The Mustangs led the Golden Hurricane by 12 points with 3:12 remaining in the first half. At that point, the Mustangs had drained 5-of-9 3-pointers and were out-rebounding the Golden Hurricane 17-11. Guards Robert Nyakundi and Mike Walker sparked a 20-2 run with a barrage of 3-pointers, and a pair of thunderous dunks by senior Bamba Fall had the Moody Coliseum crowd thinking upset.
However, like water gradually flooding the sinking Titanic, the Golden Hurricane slowly wrestled away control of the game and flipped the Mustangs’ momentum on its head.
SMU missed all 10 second-half 3-pointers and was hammered 44-29 on the boards by a physical Tulsa squad. It all added up to another disappointing home loss for the Mustangs. It was the sixth time in seven conference home games that the Mustangs had held a second half lead, only to let it slip away on four of those occasions.
“It’s so frustrating when at this point in the season, when there’s 10 minutes left in the game, everybody says it’s over,” said junior guard Derek Williams, who finished with 10 points and a team-high five assists. “It’s like it’s a whole different team out there.”
