Feb. 9, 2008
Box Score vs. Rice in PDF Format 
Complete Season Stats in PDF Format
DALLAS (AP) - Derrick Roberts scored 20 points and Mike Walker added 12, including the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game, as SMU came back to beat Rice 68-53 Saturday night. The Mustangs (8-13, 2-6 Conference USA) fell behind early, trailing at halftime 34-23 and never leading until Walker's 3-point shot with 4:38 remaining put them up 51-50. SMU then closed the game on a 17-3 run, with Jon Killen scoring on eight free throws and Roberts adding six more points. Killen finished with 11 points and five assists. Killen led as the Mustangs hit 22-of-23 free throws in the game, which tied for the for the fourth-best performance in school history at 95.7 percent. Rice (3-19, 0-9) looked like it might get its first conference win and break an 11-game losing streak, building a big lead on 54 percent first-half shooting. But then the Owls missed badly in the second half, going 8-of-28 from the field (29 percent). Patrick Britton led the Owls with 14 points. Rodney Foster had 11 points despite going 1-of-10 on 3-point tries. The Owls were 1-of-14 from long distance.
Killen and Walker each had five assists and three steals for SMU. Killen has 135 career steals, which is one off eighth all-time at SMU. Bamba had two blocks and 11 points to give SMU four double-figure scorers.
Matt Doherty, SMU Head Coach "The first half we gave up 19 points off turnovers and nine second-chance points and the second half we didn't allow any. And really everyone who played the second half played well. As bad as Jon Killen was in the first half, he was that good in the second half. Mike Walker as bad as he was in the first half, he was that good in the second half. Derrick Roberts [too]. It was fun, but it was it was miserable for 25 minutes."
(On Mike Walker) I challenged Mike at half time, I said you have to be tough enough to make shots. He hasn't made many shots lately and I think that part of it is he taking bad shots. So I challenged him. You know sometimes I think you got to put your foot through the front door and I said, `Listen you need to either take them and make them or don't take them, and he made them.'
Jon Killen (On the first shot he made, a 3-pointer to tie the game at 44-44) "I barely shot the ball this game. And to hit a shot like that to kind of get us over the home break and keep the run going, it was kind of big. For me, my first shot for the team, so it kind of got the team back into it and I think it got them excited and kind of got the crowd back into it more."
