SMU Junior guard Keena Mays dribbles down the court against the University of Louisiana-Monroe. (Courtesy of SMU Athletic Department)
Coming off of an impressive road win against Memphis, the SMU women’s basketball team (19-5, 10-1 C-USA) will take on the Tulsa Hurricane (11-13, 6-5 C-USA) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.
The Mustangs will look to continue their dominant play in conference against a Tulsa team that comes into Moody Coliseum having won four straight games.
SMU is led by a trio of players that are averaging over 10 points per game. Keena Mays (19.8 ppg), Alisha Filmore (12.3 ppg) and Akil Simpson (10.5 ppg) all have been contributing factors in the Mustangs’ magical run in conference play this season.
Although Mays did not win her third consecutive Conference USA player of the week award, her 17 points in Sunday’s victory over Memphis were crucial.
SMU did however have a tandem of players that helped secure their victory Sunday afternoon.
Filmore scored 21 points and Simpson grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to help rally the Mustangs late in the game. Simpson also added 13 points in the victory.
SMU was also able to get back to shooting the ball effectively in the second half against Memphis (48 percent), which will be key for the Mustangs to close league play on a high note.
Although SMU was able to escape with a victory on Sunday, if they turn the ball over like they have their past two games (41 turnovers), it could prove to be tough for them to win.
The Mustangs will take on a Tulsa team that has had its ups and downs all season long. The Hurricanes started the season 1-5 before winning three straight to make up for their early loses.
In conference play, Tulsa has heightened its play, sporting a 6-5 record in C-USA that is considerably better than its out of conference standing (5-8).
Tulsa has two players that can score the ball, who are averaging at least 10 points per game. Teyla Mayberry is posting just over 18 points a game, while Kelsee Grovey averages 10 points on the season.
The Hurricanes have had trouble scoring the ball efficiently, averaging just over 60 points a game while shooting 36 percent from the field.
In the Mustangs last meeting with Tulsa, the Hurricanes defeated the Mustangs 61-57.
Following Thursday’s game against Tulsa, the Mustangs will head to Houston where they will take on the Cougars at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
