Jan. 29, 2009
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Gilliam, Samuels Shoot SMU To Fifth Straight Win Mustangs retain share of Conference USA lead
DALLAS (SMU) - Junior guard Brittany Gilliam drained a long three-pointer with less than five seconds left, and junior guard Jillian Samuels drilled three three-pointers - all in the second half - to lead the SMU Mustangs to their fifth consecutive victory, 59-56 over Houston at Moody Coliseum Thursday night.
The win also was the 325th in the career of SMU head coach Rhonda Rompola.
The victory improved the Mustangs' record to 13-7, and their mark against Conference USA teams to 6-1 - which keeps the Ponies in a tie (with Southern Miss) for first place in C-USA. The Lady Cougars, who became the second team this season (in addition to TCU) to fall to the Mustangs despite receiving votes for the USA Today/ESPN top 25 poll, slipped to 12-8 on the season, and 4-3 in C-USA games.
SMU, which led for most of the game, now has beaten the Lady Cougars four straight times.
The Mustangs took advantage of a balanced offensive attack. Gilliam and Samuels led the team with 11 points apiece, while junior forward Delisha Wills chipped in with 10, freshman center Christine Elliott added nine and sophomore guard LaShandra Hill added seven.
The game was decided at the three-point line, where the Mustangs limited the Lady Cougars to just 22.2 percent shooting (on 2-of-9 shooting) from three-point range.
The Mustangs will return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday in a home game against the Rice Owls (5-15, 0-7) at Moody Coliseum. For ticket information and a complete schedule, log on to SMUMustangs.com or call 214-SMU-GAME.
