Katy Cobb and the Mustangs hit the road for the last two games of a three-game road trip. (Christina Parrish)
The SMU women’s basketball team (11-7, 3-3 C-USA) hopes to end a two-game losing streak as it faces both Rice (10-9, 3-3) and the University of Houston (5-11, 2-4) this week. The Mustangs will meet the Owls tonight at 7 p.m. at Rice and continue on to Houston on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
The Mustangs have lost three of their last four games and are 2-4 on the road so far this season. Rice has won three of its last four games and are 7-1 at home, including victories over Texas A&M and Houston. Tonight’s match-up will be the 56th meeting between Rice and SMU, with the Mustangs leading the rivalry 28-27. Last season, the Mustangs beat the Owls in Dallas, but fell to them in Houston and in the quarterfinals of the C-USA championship. Head coach Rhonda Rompola has led SMU to 16 victories and 18 losses against Rice.
Juniors Janielle Dodds and Katy Cobb can be expected to run the floor for the Mustangs. Cobb returns as a starter after limited play due to a strained calf while Dodds’ excellence from the field will surely help the Mustang offense. She is currently 7-of-12 (58.3%) from behind the three-point line, compared to 1-of-13 coming into the season.
Other players to watch include freshmen Delisha Wills and Jillian Samuels. Samuels led the Mustangs with 17 points in the loss to Tulsa on Sunday, while Wills contributed 11 points. In SMU’s win over UTEP, Wills posted 13 points and six rebounds.
Junior Sharee Shepard won’t be on the floor for the Mustangs. She’ll miss two more games because of a sore back.
From Rice comes senior Lauren Neaves who earned her 43rd double-double in the Owls’ 70-56 victory over Houston. Teammate Kadie Riverin scored 16 points and had five assists in the same game. Riverin was the lead scorer in Rice’s win over Marshall earlier this month.
At Houston, the Mustangs face the Cougars who began the season with a six-game losing streak. The Cougars are 2-4 against conference opponents, losing to UTEP, Tulane and Rice this month alone. Last season, the Mustangs beat Houston both on the road and at home.
After their short road-trip, the Mustangs will return to Moody Coliseum on Feb. 1 to play the University of Central Florida.
