Written by Austin Fackler
ORLANDO, Fla. - The start to the AAC Tournament saw the SMU Mustangs taking on the Huskies of Connecticut.
The SMU Mustangs came into this tournament with something to prove after battling injury all year they looked to make some noise against the struggling UCONN Huskies in the first game of the AAC Tournament.
The game started off slow with both teams trying to find their footing, SMU would jump out to a 9-2 lead but the Huskies wouldn’t stay quiet for long cutting the Mustang lead down to 2 halfway through the first half. After cutting the lead however the Huskies would allow SMU to go on a 12-2 run which gave SMU a 25-13 lead with 7:16 remaining in the first half. The Mustangs would continue to stay consistent scoring while playing solid defense and not allowing the Huskies to cut the lead below 10 the last 6 minutes of the first half, growing their lead to 19 before halftime taking a 42-23 advantage into the lockerroom.
The Mustangs were led by Jr. guard Jahmal McMurray who ended the half with 12 points while Akoy Agau helped out with 10 points as well as 3 offensive rebounds.
The Huskies struggled offensively shooting just 38% from the field in the first half.
With their season on the line the Huskies came out strong in the second half going on a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 10 with 14:20 on the clock. SMU would weather the storm though not letting their lead get below 10. After 5 turnovers on the offensive end for UCONN the Mustangs would grow their lead 21 with 11:42 remaining in the second half. In the final three minutes the Huskies would get some offensive production and cut the lead down to 8 and would eventually get the lead down to 3 with under a minute left but the Mustangs offense was too much for the Huskies and down in the final minutes their defense would hold strong as their offense was hitting their free throws to come away with a 80-73 win.
The Mustangs were led by Ben Emelogu who finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds as well as Akoy Agau who finished with 21 points and Jahmal McMurray who finished with 19 points.
As for the Huskies Christian Vital was the leading scorer finished the game with 24 points, Antwoine Anderson finished the game with 19 points.
Head Coach Tim Jankovich was happy with the win and happy for his seniors saying
“For me the best part is today for them and they get to feel this feeling” He added that he was happy with his team for fighting off two great runs by UCONN saying “Our guys handled that very well and hit free throws down the stretch too.”
The Mustangs will face off against the top-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats at noon on Friday as they look to make a run for the NCAA tournament.
The SMU Mustangs came into this tournament with something to prove after battling injury all year they looked to make some noise against the struggling UCONN Huskies in the first game of the AAC Tournament.
The game started off slow with both teams trying to find their footing, SMU would jump out to a 9-2 lead but the Huskies wouldn’t stay quiet for long cutting the Mustang lead down to 2 halfway through the first half. After cutting the lead however the Huskies would allow SMU to go on a 12-2 run which gave SMU a 25-13 lead with 7:16 remaining in the first half. The Mustangs would continue to stay consistent scoring while playing solid defense and not allowing the Huskies to cut the lead below 10 the last 6 minutes of the first half, growing their lead to 19 before halftime taking a 42-23 advantage into the lockerroom.
The Mustangs were led by Jr. guard Jahmal McMurray who ended the half with 12 points while Akoy Agau helped out with 10 points as well as 3 offensive rebounds.
The Huskies struggled offensively shooting just 38% from the field in the first half.
With their season on the line the Huskies came out strong in the second half going on a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 10 with 14:20 on the clock. SMU would weather the storm though not letting their lead get below 10. After 5 turnovers on the offensive end for UCONN the Mustangs would grow their lead 21 with 11:42 remaining in the second half. In the final three minutes the Huskies would get some offensive production and cut the lead down to 8 and would eventually get the lead down to 3 with under a minute left but the Mustangs offense was too much for the Huskies and down in the final minutes their defense would hold strong as their offense was hitting their free throws to come away with a 80-73 win.
The Mustangs were led by Ben Emelogu who finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds as well as Akoy Agau who finished with 21 points and Jahmal McMurray who finished with 19 points.
As for the Huskies Christian Vital was the leading scorer finished the game with 24 points, Antwoine Anderson finished the game with 19 points.
Head Coach Tim Jankovich was happy with the win and happy for his seniors saying
“For me the best part is today for them and they get to feel this feeling” He added that he was happy with his team for fighting off two great runs by UCONN saying “Our guys handled that very well and hit free throws down the stretch too.”
The Mustangs will face off against the top-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats at noon on Friday as they look to make a run for the NCAA tournament.