Box Score | Season Stats | Postgame Notes

RENO, Nev. (SMU) – The Mustangs (3-3) started fast in its first game of the Nugget Classic and coasted to a 73-51 victory on Friday night against UC Riverside.

A 17-0 run early in the first quarter helped SMU open up a 24-7 lead, and the Mustangs never faltered from there. Riverside was never able to truly get back in the contest as SMU's lead never shrank to smaller than seven points in the second half.

Senior McKenzie Adams was the engine for the Mustangs on offense, logging the seventh 20-point game in her Mustang career to lead all scorers. Senior Kiara Perry was active on both ends of the floor, posting her fifth-career double-double with 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

The Mustang defense never let the Highlanders get comfortable, holding Riverside to 32 percent shooting from the field and 14 percent shooting from behind on the arc. SMU also won by a large margin on the glass, grabbing 18 more rebounds than Riverside.

The 22-point margin of victory was the Mustangs' largest of the season, and the 51 points scored by the Highlanders was the best defensive effort by SMU of the year.

SMU faces tournament host Nevada on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Nugget Classic Championship.