SMU hits 12 three-pointers, buries Tulsa

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Make 12 3-Pointers In 75-56 Win At Tulsa
Mahnesmith leads all scorers with 18

Jan. 13, 2011

TULSA, Okla. (SMU)- Samantha Mahnesmith hit six of the Mustangs' 12 3-point shots, scoring 18 points to lead SMU to a 75-56 win over Tulsa Thursday night. With the win, SMU improved to 8-8, 1-2 in Conference USA, while Tulsa fell to 4-7, 0-3 in C-USA.

"This was an important win on the road for us to boost our confidence and moral going forward," head coach Rhonda Rompola said. "I thought we started with two of the toughest teams in the conference and only lost by four. We weren't in sync early on, but I felt like our starters did their job in the second half."

Delisha Wills, Alisha Filmore and Haley Day all scored 10 points, while 10 players scored in the win.

Tulsa converted a pair of SMU turnovers into fastbreak layups for a 4-2 lead, but the Mustangs scored the next eight points to lead 10-4 with 14:18 left at the first media timeout. Mahnesmith hit a pair of threes in the stretch, while the SMU defense forced Tulsa to go 0-for-7 from the field after the first two buckets.

The Mustangs managed just six points over the next six minutes, allowing Tulsa to retake the lead, 17-16 with 7:57 to play in the first half. During the stretch, SMU shot just 3-of-9 from the field with five turnovers, while the Golden Hurricane hit 5-of-7 shots with just three turnovers.

SMU went on a 9-1 run over the final three and a half minutes of the first half, breaking a 21-21 tie to take a 30-22 lead into the lockerroom. The Mustangs finished the half shooting 52.0-percent, connecting on 13-of-25 from the field including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Tulsa went just 9-of-31 in the first half, 29.0-percent.

Mahnesmith and Wills each had double-figures in the first half. Mahnesmith led the way with 12, making 4-of-5 shots behind the arc, and Wills had 10 points.

The Mustangs started the second half on a 9-2 run, stretching the lead to 15 with just under 18 minutes to play. Tulsa never got within 10 points the rest of the way as the Mustangs shot 61.5-percent on 3-point attempts in the second half, 8-of-13.

Mahnesmith came within one 3-pointer of tying the SMU single-game record of seven, while the team was two shy of the record 14 in a game. SMU finished the game shooting 54.0-percent from the field, making 27-of-50 shots including 12-of-20 from behind the arc.

Tulsa finished the game shooting 28.1-percent, and leading scored Taleya Mayberry finished with nine points, nearly nine below her season average.

The Mustangs return home to take on UCF on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

[b_caesar]

The real stat to note here is 65.1% shooting vs 28.1% - Lights out vs abysmal.

[PonyPride]

Tulsa World take on the game:

“They were on fire,” senior guard Tatum Beer said of SMU’s 3-point barrage.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/T ... asia636114
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/T ... asia636114