For just the second time in league-play, the Mustangs (20-6, 11-2 C-USA) lost Sunday to Conference USA bottom-feeder Houston (12-14, 6-7 C-USA), 65-58.

The Mustangs, who are just 2-2 in their last four games after starting conference play 9-0, shot below 40 percent, which has been happening frequently as of late.

Keena Mays, the Mustangs’ top scorer usually, had a rough day shooting, making only six of 21 shots taken. Mays finished with 15 points.

Akil Simpson, the bright spot of SMU’s offense, was six of nine from the field and finished with 12 points.

Although the Mustangs didn’t have much to cheer about, there was one good thing that came of the loss.

Alisha Filmore, who finished the game with nine points on four of nine shooting, became just the 20th player in program history to score 1,000 points in her career.

The Cougars, coming off a blow out loss to UTEP, were able to pull out the unlikely victory over the Mustangs with help from Alecia Smith.

Smith finished the game with a game-high 18 points on seven of 15 shooting. Four of Smith’s shots made were from three-point range.

Neither team played particularly well in the first half, with both the Mustangs and Cougars shooting about 30 percent from the field.

The Mustangs, despite making two more shots than the Cougars, went into halftime with a one-point deficit, 26-25.

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Houston’s shooting improved, as they hit 43 percent of their shots taken. The Cougars also converted six of 11 three-point attempts.

In the end, it was Houston’s clutch free throw shooting that helped them upset the top team in Conference USA, using a 19 to four advantage of free throw attempts to its advantage.

The Mustangs will have some time before taking on Tulane Thursday at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.