Filmore Scores 26 To Lead Mustangs Past Houston (with VIDEO)

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Filmore Scores 26 To Lead Mustangs To 76-61 Win Over Houston
Simpson posts third double-double with 16 points and career-high 15 rebounds

Jan. 12, 2012

DALLAS (SMU) - SMU guard Alisha Filmore celebrated her 21st birthday by scoring 26 points to lead the SMU women's basketball team to a 76-61 win over Houston Thursday night in Moody Coliseum.

Filmore was 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Akil Simpson grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and scored 16 points for her third double-double of the season. Heidi Brandenburg added nine points and pulled down four rebounds.

The Mustangs (8-8, 1-2 Conference USA) opened the game on an 11-4 run and stretched the lead to nine five minutes into the game. SMU held off each run by Houston (2-13, 1-2 C-USA) in the first 20 minutes, taking a ten-point, 42-32 lead into the locker room at the break.

Filmore led the team with 14 first-half points, scoring 11 in the first 4:06. Simpson posted her third double-double of the season before the break, finishing the first half with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Houston shot 41.4-percent in the first half, but SMU was 15-of-30 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range.

SMU extended the lead to 15 over the first 1:39 of the second half and never let the Cougars within five points the rest of the game. Houston cut the lead to six with 5:18 left to play, but the Mustangs out-scored the Cougars 11-2 the rest of the way to secure the win.

The Mustangs finished the game shooting 43.3-percent from the field, going 26-of-40 and 8-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Cougars were 23-of-63 from the field, 36.5-percent, and hit just 2-of-6 3-pointers. SMU out-rebounded Houston 44-36 and had 15 second-chance points.

SMU takes on Marshall on Sunday in Huntington, W.Va., at noon CT. The next home game is against East Carolina on Jan. 22 at noon, which is a change from the originally scheduled 2 p.m. start.

SMU head coach Rhonda Rompola


SMU guard Alisha Filmore

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Nice to see the women's basket ball team get a conference win. Hopefully the season turnaround has started!

Go Ponies!

[EP Pony Fan]

Houston is a team we have to beat, because they lost as much talent or more than we did. Good job, Mustangs.