Dec. 18, 2010
Box Score in PDF Format 
LAS VEGAS (SMU) - The SMU women's basketball team had four players score at least 10 points against No. 23 Texas, but it wasn't enough as the Mustangs fell 91-73 in the opening contest of the BTI Classic in the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. The Longhorns (6-3) outscored the Mustangs (5-4) 49-33 in the second half to take the victory.
Freshman Akil Simpson (Duncanville, Texas) led SMU with a season-high 17 points. Christine Elliott (Wichita, Kan.) added 13 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds, and Delisha Wills (Mesquite, Texas) and Samantha Mahnesmith (Kennedale, Texas) each added 12 points.
SMU Head coach Rhonda Rompola said after the game they had been waiting for a big game by Simpson, whose previous high was nine points.
The Mustangs pushed their lead to six points, the largest by either team in the first half, with a pair of free throws by Simpson with 2:17 left in the half. The Longhorns, however, took advantage of three SMU turnovers to close the half on an 8-0 run to take a 42-40 lead into the locker room.
By the time the horn sounded to end the first half, SMU already had a pair of players in double figures, with Simpson (13) and Wills (10) combining for 23 points. Ashleigh Fontenette and Chassidy Fussell, who each average more than 15 points per game, were two of three players for the Longhorns with seven points in the first half.
After opening the game with just three field goals in the first eight minutes, the Mustangs found their rhythm on the offensive end of the floor to finish the half 14-of-28 from the field. SMU stayed in the game early, taking advantage of trips to the foul line to keep the score close. Despite shooting less than 30-percent from the field at the second media timeout, the Mustangs trailed 15-13, going 7-for-8 from the line.
The Mustangs held Ashley Gayle, the tallest player on the Texas roster, to just one point in nine first-half minutes, but the junior was a dominant force in the second half, scoring 10 points to finish with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Fussell led Texas with 14 points, and five Longhorns scored at least nine points. The size advantage for Texas was felt off the glass, leading to a 48-34 rebound advantage. The Longhorns out-rebounded SMU 31-18 in the second half, with Gayle grabbing eight of her team-high nine in the second period.
The Mustangs will continue action in the BTI Classic Sunday against the University of South Florida. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
