SMU’s Jon Killen attacks the hoop for two of his 28 points. (Lindsey Perkins)
The SMU men’s basketball finally broke through with a conference win on Saturday night over the University of Central Florida Knights. SMU (7-11, 1-4) won the overtime thriller over UCF (11-8, 4-1) by a final score of 69-67.
In the first half, the game looked like a typical conference game from this season with the Mustangs falling behind 38-28. The Knights’ guard, Jermaine Taylor, was able to score 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field.
In spite of Papa Dia being sidelined with an injury, the Mustangs’ interior defense was dominant defensively. Bamba Fall and Cameron Spencer gave a boost to the crowd and the bench with thundering blocks during the half that kept energy high.
Instead of folding amid a double- digit deficit, Jon Killen rallied the Mustangs to a second-half comeback. The Mustangs’ rally finally tied the Knights at 48 when Jon Killen hit a three pointer from about five feet behind the line with 9:13 left in the half.
The game continued with lead changes nearly every possession and the fans on the edge of their seats. SMU fell behind by two points again with 2:15 left in the game. Again, the team turned to Killen, who drained another long-range basket to give SMU the lead.
The Mustangs appeared poised for their first conference win with 20 seconds left in the game and a three-point advantage. However, UCF’s Taylor came down the court and hit a three pointer off a double screen.
Senior guard Derrick Roberts limited Taylor during the second half and was right in his face on the three-point attempt. However, Taylor, who scored 26 points on the game, was able to force the game into overtime.
The Mustangs got out to an early overtime lead by scoring five quick points. Eventually, the Knights battled their way back to tie the game at 67 with 45 seconds left.
Killen took the ball off the inbounds and looked for an opening in the defense. Killen got a screen from junior Bamba Fall that drew a double team. This opened up Fall on the roll for a layup that gave SMU the 69-67 lead and eventually the win.
After the game, SMU head coach Matt Doherty was thrilled with the performance and overall progression Killen has shown over the season. Among other compliments, Doherty said, “He has grown into one of the better players in Conference USA.” This says a lot considering the other great conference players like Derek Rose, Ben Uzoh and Jermaine Taylor.
Doherty was also understandably pleased with the overall team effort. “I am really proud of my team. To be down by 10 to one of the top teams in the league, and comeback to win shows a lot of toughness and competitiveness,” Doherty commented after the win.
Killen finished the game with a game-high 28 points, seven assists and 6 rebounds. Fall was the only other Mustang to score in double figures with 11.
Killen was honored this week for his overall play and late-game heroics with the Conference USA Player of the Week award. Killen averaged 21.5 points, 6 assists and 4.5 rebounds during the stretch. Killen has played all but six minutes of the Mustangs’ two games this week.
The Mustangs are back in action Saturday when they travel to Tulsa looking for revenge against the Golden Hurricane.
