Mustangs Clinch Thriller With Late Surge At Houston

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From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Clinch Thriller With Late Surge At Houston
Wilkins Clinches Game With Last-Second Free Throws; Mustangs Improve To 2-2 In The American

HOUSTON (SMU) – After drawing a foul with three seconds left, Gabrielle Wilkins sank two free throws to propel the SMU women’s basketball team to a 50-48 come-for-behind win at Houston Sunday afternoon. Wilkins recorded her third-straight double-digit rebound game, securing her 10th on a Houston miss to draw the foul, finishing with 10 boards and six points.

The Mustangs (7-8, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) out-scored Houston in the second half, 26-17, holding the Cougars to eight points in the third quarter and nine points in the fourth. The Mustangs also held Houston (4-12, 0-5 The American) to 21.4 percent from the field in the second half, while forcing nine turnovers.

Trailing 37-27 with 8:26 left in the third quarter, the Mustangs went on an 11-2 run to close the quarter and cut the deficit to one, 39-38. Trailing 44-40 with 7:35 remaining in the game, the Mustangs went on an 8-0 run, started with three points by Alicia Froling, to take a 48-44 lead with 1:33 remaining in the game. After hitting two free throws, Houston used a layup to knot the game at 48-48 with 40 seconds remaining. After Wilkins gave SMU the advantage, the Mustangs defense shut down the last-second threat to claim the victory.

Froling, who was one of two Mustangs to score at least 10 points, finished with a team-high15 points and seven rebounds. The sophomore is now averaging 12.1 points per game and has 10 double-digit scoring performances this season. McKenzie Adams scored 11 points, going 2-for-5 from outside 3-point range.

Trailing 26-15 with 6:53 left in the first half, SMU used a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 26-24, with two minutes left in the opening 20 minutes. The Cougars answered late, scoring five unanswered points to expand their lead by seven, 31-24, to end the half.

Chyanne Butler led Houston with 17 points, going 6-for-9 for 11 points in the first half. SMU held the sophomore transfer to just one field goal in the second half, and kept her from scoring a go-ahead layup in the closing seconds, setting the stage for Wilkins' game-winning free throws.

The Mustangs return to Moody Coliseum and open a three-game homestand Saturday against Memphis. Tip-off is schedule for 2 p.m. CT.