4 Ponies score in double figures; SMU faces MSU in finale

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From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU Outlasts Gardner-Webb For 69-61 Victory; Plays No. 9 Mississippi State For Tournament Title
Collins scored 14 points to lead five Mustangs in double figures

Dec. 20, 2015

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (SMU) – Stephanie Collins was a rebound shy of a second-straight double-double, leading the SMU women’s basketball team to a 69-61 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs on day two of the Puerto Rico Classic Sunday afternoon at Rubén Zayas Montañez Coliseum. The sophomore scored 14 points with nine rebounds to lead the Mustangs in both categories

Leading 21-20 with 6:42 left in the half, Gardner-Webb (6-4) scored six unanswered points over a two minute span to jump ahead, 27-20. SMU (5-5) responded with a 12-0 run sparked by Keely Froling off the bench, taking a 32-27 lead into halftime. SMU came out of the break and kept the offensive pressure on, expanding its run to 14-0 with a McKenzie Adams layup early in the third quarter. Gardner-Webb made two layups to cut the lead to six before SMU found another hot streak, scoring nine unanswered points for a 43-29 lead. In the final minutes of the third quarter, Gardner-Webb managed four unanswered points, trailing by nine, 50-41, at the start of the final 10 minutes.

SMU led by as many as 15 points in the game, a 45-31 advantage with 2:42 left in the third quarter, and scored back-to-back buckets to take a 13-point lead late in the fourth quarter, 63-50 with 3:44 remaining in the game. The Runnin’ Bulldogs scored five unanswered to cut the lead to eight before Alicia Froling stretched the SMU lead to 10 with a layup. Gardner-Webb continued to press, chipping the deficit to six, 67-61 in the final minutes, but the SMU defense shut down the Runnin’ Bulldog threat to claim the victory.

Collins went 7-for-12 from the field and recorded two blocks and an assist. Gabrielle Wilkins finished with 12 points and three assists, going 6-for-9 from the field. McKenzie Adams and Alicia Froling each finished with 11 points, and Keely Froling, in her first game of the season, scored 10 points off the bench, finishing 5-for-6 from the field in just 11 minutes. SMU shot 50.8 percent from the field, 31-of-61, while holding the Runnin’ Bulldogs to just 30.8 percent from the field, 16-of-52.

The Mustangs will take on the ninth-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Puerto Rico Classic championship game Sunday at 12:15 p.m. CT. The two squads are the only undefeated (2-0) teams in the tournament, with SMU beating Arizona and Gardner Webb, and Mississippi State defeating Florida Gulf Coast and Western Michigan. Fans can follow along with video, live stats and audio at SMUMustangs.com.