The SMU women’s basketball team swept what head coach Rhonda Rompola was calling the team’s toughest weekend. SMU began with a 73-68 overtime victory over East Carolina University on Friday night.
Senior post Janielle Dodds led the Mustangs with 21 points, followed by sophomore forward Brittany Gilliam with 15. Sophomore forward Jillian Samuels also added a double-digit score of 14 points to give the Mustangs their first win against the Pirates in the teams’ last four meetings. The loss also extended East Carolina’s losing streak to five games. It was the team’s first conference loss at home.
SMU’s defense struggled against the Pirates in the first half, but managed to keep the game within reach for the first 20 minutes. SMU’s defense tried to recover from the first half, which ended with the Mustangs down by four. SMU trailed by as much as 13 points with less than 15 minutes left in regulation. As the clock wound down, SMU restricted East Carolina to just a 30 percent shooting average, forcing the game into overtime. Hitting only 13 of 30 field goals in the second half, SMU went 0-9 in three pointers in the second half.
Senior guard Katy Cobb clinched another win for the Mustangs, hitting two free throws with 24.1 seconds left to give her team the five-point advantage and third conference win. Cobb also recorded a career-high 10 rebounds against East Carolina.
East Carolina came out in overtime hitting only two of its 10 shots, while SMU’s sophomore forward and post Alice Severin added four points, leading SMU’s offense in overtime.
The Mustangs finished the game shooting 40.6 percent from the field, 22.2 percent in three’s and 72.2 percent in free throws. Rompola got 20 points from her bench, with Gilliam showing up as the game’s fourth leading scorer.
SMU improved to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in Conference USA play. East Carolina fell to 6-11 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
In more weekend action, the Mustangs went on to defeat Marshall in a 72-50 victory Sunday afternoon. The win improved the Mustangs’ winning streak to four games. Dodds scored a game-high 17 points, helping SMU improve 4-1 in C-USA and 14-4 overall.
Senior forward Sharee Shepherd hit a new season high with 15 points, along with seven steals, tying four other former SMU players, including Rompola, for most steals in a game. Samuels also contributed 15 points, including three three-point shots to lead to her fourth straight game of hitting consecutive three pointers, and improving her career total to 45.
Outscoring Marshall 30-19 at the half, SMU increased to a 22-point lead with 1:11 left in the game to secure a win. Marshall failed to mount any serious threats to SMU’s lead in the second half of play.
The Mustangs finished the game averaging 45.5 percent in field goals, 50 percent in three pointers and 65.2 percent from the line. SMU shot 26 points from in the paint, but only got 14 points from their bench.
The Mustangs will be back in Moody Coliseum on Jan. 26 to host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
