Box Score | Postgame Notes | Video Replay Highlights
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Shake Milton, a freshman from the Tulsa suburb of Owasso, had a spectacular homecoming, scoring a career-high 24 points and going 7 of 8 from 3-point range to lead No. 17 SMU to an 81-69 victory over Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Nic Moore added 23 points as the Mustangs (12-0, 1-0) shot 56.4 percent (31 of 55), above their conference-leading percentage of 52.4 percent. SMU, one of five unbeaten Division I teams entering Tuesday, is ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions.
Milton, who was 8 of 9 overall from the field, hit his second 3-pointer of the second half to give SMU a 60-48 lead with 13:08 remaining. The closest Tulsa came after that was 68-62 on a 3-pointer by James Woodard with 7:11 to play. The Mustangs scored on their next four possessions to make it 73-62 and cruised from there.
Milton's shots were mostly wide open corner jumpers after the Tulsa defense had collapsed on SMU's inside players. Ben Moore added 11 points and 10 rebounds for SMU.
Woodard led Tulsa (8-5, 0-0) with 22 points, followed by Shaquille Harrison with 15 and D'Andre Wright with 14. The Golden Hurricane shot 44.1 percent, but had no answers defensively for the Mustangs, who led for the final 36 minutes.
Milton helped SMU to a 41-35 halftime lead by making his first six shots, including five unguarded 3-pointers, before missing a contested 3 on the final possession. With Moore and Markus Kennedy making 5 of 6 shots inside, the Mustangs shot 59.3 percent for the half, then scored on their first six possessions of the second half to push the lead to 55-44.
Tulsa made just three of nine free throws in the half, including twice missing the front end of a 1-and-1 twice. Tulsa finished 11 of 22 from the free throw line.
SMU is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 2 when the Mustangs host USF at Moody Coliseum. Tipoff for Saturday's contest is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPNews. Tickets for the game are available online at smumustangs.com/tickets.
