Feb. 22, 2009
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HOUSTON, Texas (SMU) - Sophomore guard LaShandra Hill scored 14 points and freshman center Christine Elliott came within one rebound of a double-double to lead the SMU women's basketball team to a 63-41 victory over Rice in the Mustangs' final road game of the regular season at Rice's Tudor Fieldhouse.
Nine different players scored for the Mustangs, who also turned in their stingiest defensive performance in four seasons - the 41 points Rice scored were the fewest by an SMU opponent since Dec. 22, 2004, when SMU blasted San Diego State, 80-36. The Ponies also allowed Rice to hit just 28.8 percent of its field goals.
The win gave SMU (17-10 overall, 10-4 in Conference USA games) a 33-28 advantage in the all-time series between the Mustangs and Owls; since seeing the series tied, 28-28, the Ponies have won five straight against the Owls. More importantly, the victory kept the Mustangs in a tie with Southern Miss and UTEP for first place in C-USA heading into the final two games of the season this week.
Not only did the SMU defense shine, but head coach Rhonda Rompola - who picked up her 329th career victory - was able to give her starters plenty of rest. In addition to Hill and Elliott, who had 12 points to go with her nine rebounds, sophomore Haley Day and freshman Samantha Mahnesmith scored nine points apiece, meaning the team's top four scorers on the afternoon were freshmen and sophomores.
The Mustangs now return home to Moody Coliseum for the final two games of the regular season: a 7 p.m. contest Thursday night against Tulane, and a 2 p.m. matchup against UTEP. For ticket information, log on to SMUMustangs.com or call 214-SMU-GAME.
