SMU’s Jeremiah Samarrippas (12) keeps control of the ball as Mississippi’s Jarvis Summers defends during an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 3 in Oxford, Miss. The University of Mississippi won 50-48. (Associated Press)
SMU hosts Conference USA rival Houston Wednesday in Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m.
The Mustangs, 1-2 in conference play, have won two of the last three games against the Cougars.
Both teams enter the game after losses last week.
The Mustangs fell to the UTEP Miners in an overtime battle in El Paso Saturday. Despite senior forward Robert Nyakundi’s best effort to win the game in regulation play, officials ruled out his near buzzer-beating shot from 3-point range. UTEP ran away with the win, 70-64.
Freshman Jalen Jones led the Mustangs with 12 points.
UH lost to conference leader Memphis Saturday, 89-55. The loss established Houston’s 1-3 conference record.
The Mustangs and Cougars also both hold 9-8 overall records.
SMU offense leads C-USA in 3-pointers made per game (7.9).
The scoring defense, which has held 15 of 17 opponents to 65 points or less, is ranked second in the conference.
Nyakundi tops C-USA’s 3-point percentage at 44.4 percent. London Giles averages 11.1 points and is ranked sixth in 3-point shooting (38.7 percent). Sophomore guard Jeremiah Samarrippas has 38 assists against 11 turnovers in the last eight games, averaging four assists per game.
Houston’s junior guard Jonathon Simmons will compete with Samarrippas. Simmons leads the Cougars and ranks among the C-USA individual leaders in scoring and field goal percentage.
In last year’s game the Mustangs beat the Cougars for the first time in over a decade.
SMU never trailed in the game with Papa Dia scoring 27 points and Nyakundi adding 16.
The final score was 65-51, splitting last season’s series with each team winning at the other’s home.
Wednesday’s match-up is the 68th time SMU and Houston are meeting, with the Cougars holding a 43-24 lead in the series.
SMU stands right in front of Houston at eighth place in league standings. After facing Houston in Wednesday night’s game, the Mustangs will hit the road for two games. The first opponent will be the C-USA top-ranked Memphis Tigers on Saturday followed by Tulane on Jan. 25. The Mustangs will return home to face Tulsa on Jan. 28.
