The Mustangs will host the Coppin State Eagles from Baltimore tonight in Moody Coliseum. As members of the Mideastern Athletic Conference, the Eagles currently post a 4-5 season record, with their last game resulting in a 62-56 loss against Lafayette.
The Mustangs will try to extend their six-game winning streak to a record a seven-game streak for the first time since the 2004-05 season when SMU went on an eight-game run. SMU is currently tied in second place with Tennessee in the NCAA for most consecutive wins, with Wyoming currently leading with a 12-game consecutive winning streak.
The Mustangs face the Eagles after coming off a 68-62 victory over the North Texas Mean Green last weekend.
Leading career scorer for the Mustangs this season senior Janielle Dodds will hit the court in hopes of rising to the second place spot for most career points scored while at SMU. Dodds needs only 10 more points to pass Kerri Delaney at 1,503 points.
Sophomore forward and Conference USA Player of the Week Delisha Wills will also start for the Mustangs. Scoring a game-high 17 points against UNT, Wills has made her mark as a consistent leading scorer for her team, also posting her fifth career double double against the Mean Green.
“Janielle and Delisha play well together and jump start us, but the bottom line is we need one of them on the floor because, from an offensive standpoint, they give us that scoring power,” explained head coach Rhonda Rompola.
The Mustangs defense will have to control Coppin State’s leading scorers Shalamar Oakley, Jennifer Martin and Rashida Martin who all posted double-digit points in their loss to Lafayette. Lakeytah Irving also poses a threat after recording a career-high 11 rebounds against Lafayette.
“It’s going to be a track meet,” said Rompola. “They are very quick, they like to push the ball in transition and they make a lot of tough shots. We’ve played a lot of teams that like to run the ball, but we’re still trying to work on our transition defense so this will kind of fit into our style of play.”
As was the case against UNT, the Mustangs still need to see more effort from their bench to secure big wins. Holding a nine-point advantage at half time, the Mustangs’ lead diminished as the starters were substituted with players from the bench.
Still managing to hold on to the lead, Rompola says she still needs to see the confidence and effort emerge from these players to prevent SMU from losing leads.
“Our starters are doing their job, but we need more production from our bench,” said Rompola. “We just need to get more players producing offensively. If we can get a better bench production, that’s going to take us a long way.”
To prepare the bench for more playing time, junior Elbie Gates and sophomore Alice Severin have been key focuses during practices.
“We’ve made a concerted effort to get Elbie and Alice up to the post at practice, as well as work the paint for them to get the rhythm and get their confidence up,” said Rompola.
With conference play looming on the horizon, the Mustangs will continue to strive for that eight-game win streak, with the chance of rising to second place in the NCAA for most consecutive wins..
“As you win ball games, that target gets bigger,” Rompola said. “Teams are going to play better against you, shoot better and play harder, so you have to be ready for each game. We have to learn to be intense no matter whom we’re playing. Great teams always find a way to win and finish.”
SMU will also host the 5-2 Roadrunners from the University of Texas-Arlington on Saturday night. The Roadrunners visit Moody Coliseum after coming off a 76-60 loss against Texas last week. The loss ended UTA’s three-game winning streak and marked its second loss on the road. The Roadrunners have yet to secure a victory away from home.
Saturday’s game and tonight’s game will tip-off at 7 at Moody Coliseum.
