Saturday, January 28
Tulsa, OK
7 p.m.
SMU
at
Tulsa
SMU Plays At Tulsa On ESPN3 Saturday At 7 P.M.
Jan 26 | Women's Basketball
| SMU (11-9, 2-5 The American) at Tulsa (6-14, 2-5 The American) | |
| Date & Tip Time | Sat., Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. |
| Location | Reynolds Center - Tulsa, Okla. |
| Live Video | ESPN3 |
| Radio | KAAM 770 AM – Dallas |
| Live Stats | Sidearm Stats |
| Game Info | Game Notes (.pdf) |
| SMU Basketball on Social Media | |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUBasketballW | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMUBasketballW | |
| SMU.Mustangs | SMUBasketballW | |
The SMU women's basketball team plays at Tulsa Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. David Saltzman and Angelique Gray will have the call. The Mustangs defeated Houston, 66-45, in their last road game, but dropped a heartbreaking, 52-51 decision against No. 23 USF at home in their last game. The matchup at Tulsa can be heard in the Dallas area on KAAM 770 AM.Â
ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs are 11-9 overall, 2-5 in the American Athletic Conference, losing three conference games by a combined four points, including a one-point loss, 52-51, to No. 23 USF. Alicia Froling is eighth in the league with 15.1 points per game and leads the conference with 10.8 rebounds per game. The junior recorded her 14th double-double of the season, one shy of matching Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1984-85) for the most in a season at SMU. SMU is second in the league and 22nd in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 35.4 percent from the field, trailing only No. 1 Connecticut (35.2) in the conference. SMU also leads the league with 123 blocks, averaging 6.2 per game (9th - NCAA).Â
SCOUTING TULSA
The Golden Hurricane is 6-14 overall, 2-5 in The American, falling 70-65 at Tulane in the last game. Erika Wakefield leads the team with 12.1 points per game, but she is the only Tulsa player averaging double figures. However, six players score at least five points per game, including all five starters. As a team, Tulsa is being outscored by opponents, 70.6-64.7.Â
SERIES HISTORY
The Mustangs are 26-16 all-time in a series that started on Nov. 30, 1981, with an 86-64 victory by the Mustangs in Moody Coliseum. SMU is just 9-10 at Tulsa, losing three of the last four. Each team won on its home court last season, with SMU losing 56-54 at Tulsa on Jan. 2 before winning 62-45 at home on Feb. 17.Â
LAST TIME OUT
The SMU women's basketball team dropped another close conference game, falling 52-51 against No. 23 USF in Moody Coliseum Wednesday night. The Mustangs, 11-9 overall and 2-5 in the American Athletic Conference, have lost three conference games by a combined four points.
The SMU defense anchored the effort, holding the Bulls (16-3, 5-1 The American) nearly 25 points below their season average (75.2 ppg). The Mustangs forced USF into 18 turnovers, including eight steals, and SMU recorded eight blocks, three by sophomore Dai'ja Thomas.
LOOKING AHEAD
SMU plays back-to-back home games, hosting Memphis Tuesday at 7 p.m. and UCF on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m., with both games streamed on the American Digital Network. The Mustangs then play four of their last six regular-season games on the road, starting Feb. 11 at No. 1 Connecticut.Â
MOODY MAGIC
SMU went 6-0 at home in non-conference games, and opened conference play with a 64-47 win against Cincinnati to improve to 7-0 in Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs are 7-3 at home. The SMU men's basketball team also went undefeated at home in non-conference play and won its first four conference home games, improving to 13-0 in Moody Coliseum. The SMU volleyball team went 11-2 in Moody Coliseum on its way to a second straight conference championship. Overall, the tenants of Moody Coliseum are 31-5 this year, an 86.1 win percentage.Â
UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP
For the first time since 1991, SMU has a new head coach on the sidelines. Travis Mays was announced as the fourth head coach in program history on April 7, 2016, after the retirement of Rhonda Rompola, who spent 25 seasons as the head coach of the Mustangs. Mays worked for three Hall of Fame coaches during 12 seasons as a collegiate assistant, helping guide teams to eight NCAA Tournament appearances with a trip to the Final Four with LSU in 2008. A 1990 second-round NBA draft pick out of Texas, Mays' staff includes fellow Longhorns Edwina Brown and Amie Smith Bradley, and associate head coach Mike Brandt, who spent 14 seasons as the head coach at USC Aiken.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
McKenzie Adams was named American Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year after leading the Mustangs in scoring with 13.4 points per game last season. She scored a season-high 24 points against Kansas, and reached double figures in 25 of 31 games. Alicia Froling was named to the All-American Athletic Conference Third Team, finishing the year averaging 12.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. She set a school record with 22 rebounds at Cincinnati, and also scored a career-high 33 points against the Bearcats. Froling was also named to the All-American Athletic Conference Preseason Team.
THE AMERICAN PRESEASON RANKINGS
SMU was picked to finish fifth in the conference by the league's coaches, behind four-time defending national champion Connecticut, Temple, USF and Tulane, respectively. SMU returns two all-conference honorees among nine returning letterwinners.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
SMU's football, men's basketball and women's basketball programs had a record-setting fall semester in the classroom. The football and women's basketball teams set program-best cumulative grade-point-averages while men's basketball reached its highest cumulative GPA since 2004.
ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY
As a freshman, Alicia Froling recorded 54 blocks, surpassing Sarah Davis' mark of 53 blocks during the 2005-06 season. After breaking a record that stood for nine seasons, the Australian's name stayed at the top of the list for only one year. Fellow Australian and sophomore Stephanie Collins posted 73 blocks in her first full season. Froling is third in school history in blocks with 127, while Collins has 118, fourth at SMU. The duo is the first pair of teammates of the same class to each record 100 blocks in program history. The last player to eclipse the century mark was Janielle Dodds, who finished with 109 blocks from 2004-08. Sarah Davis holds the school record with 180 blocks from 2003-06.
TEXAS TIES
SMU's roster includes 10 of 14 student-athletes from the state of Texas, with nine who have hometowns in the DFW metroplex. Three of the Mustangs four coaches also have roots in Texas with head coach Travis Mays, assistant coaches Edwina Brown and Amie Smith Bradley all attending the University of Texas. The trio all spent time on staff at Texas, and Brown also coached at TCU before coming to the Hilltop.Â
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Alicia Froling represented Australia at the 2015 FIBA U19 Women's World Championships in Russia, winning a Bronze medal with the team, her second career medal at the World Championships with Australia. A native of Queensland, Australia, Froling averaged 8.1 points per game, reaching double-figures twice, including a tournament-high 19 points during group play. She also averaged 6.9 rebounds, and shot just under 70 percent from the free throw line. Stephanie Collins also represented Australia at the 2012 World University Games.
DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY
SMU is second in the conference and 22nd in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 35.4 shooting percentage, trailing No. 1 Connecticut's 35.2 percent. The Mustangs lead the league with 857 rebounds, averaging 42.8 per game, 28th in the NCAA. SMU has a league-best 601 defensive rebounds, ranking ninth in the NCAA with 30.1 per game. SMU leads The American with 123 blocks, ahead of No. 1 Connecticut's 85 and Cincinnati's 82. Alicia Froling is tied for second in the conference with 31 blocks, while Dai'ja Thomas has 30 and is tied for the league lead with 1.7 per game.
ALICIA FROLING
Alicia Froling became the 23rd player in SMU history with 20 points in a win at Houston, and now has 1,029 in her career. The junior is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double with 15.1 points per game (8th - AAC) and a league-best 10.8 rebounds per game (15th - NCAA). She has scored at least 20 points five times this season and 12 times in her career, including a career-high 33 points at Cincinnati last season (Jan. 27). She is third all-time at SMU with 127 blocks, and ninth at SMU with  761 career rebounds. Froling also set an SMU single-game record with 22 rebounds against the Bearcats last season, the third highest in conference history (24 by UCF's Brittni Montgomery twice). Froling has 33 double-doubles in her career, third in program history.Â
McKENZIE ADAMS
McKenzie Adams has scored in double figures 13 times this season, including a career-high 32 points at Cincinnati. She finished with 17 at Houston, earning a mention on the league's Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 24.5 points in the two games. Adams is second on the team with 11.8 points per game, and averages 4.5 rebounds per game. She had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds at Colorado.Â
KIARA PERRY
After missing last season due to a back injury, Kiara Perry is averaging 7.8 points per game with 6.1 rebounds. She has reached double figures five times, including a career-high 19 points against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 22). The junior leads the team in assists, 51, steals, 35, and also has 12 blocks. She has two double-doubles this season, scoring 17 points with a career-high 14 rebounds at Kansas (Nov. 16) and grabbing 10 rebounds against Prairie View.Â
STEPHANIE COLLINS
Stephanie Collins was second in The American and 36th in the NCAA with 73 blocks last season, breaking the SMU single-season record Alicia Froling set with 54 blocks as a freshman in 2014-15. Collins posted 25 blocks in 20 games as a freshman. She has 118 blocks in her career, ranking fourth at SMU. The junior has blocked at least one shot in 11 of the last 13 games, with 20 this season. Over the past five games, Collins is averaging 6.2 points per game on 48.1 percent shooting, second on the team during the stretch. She matched her season high with eight points against No. 23 USF.
MORGAN BOLTON
Morgan Bolton was second on the team with 62 assists and averaged 5.7 points per game as the starting point guard in 2015-16. The junior scored at least 10 points seven times, including a career-high 15 points against then-No. 20 USF in the conference tournament. Bolton has 44 assists this season, and is averaging 5.5 points per game, scoring 12 against Tulane on a career-high four made 3-pointers to reach double figures for the fourth time this season. Bolton leads the team with 24 made 3-pointers, shooting 30.4 percent from behind the arc.
DAI'JA THOMAS
Dai'ja Thomas has scored at least 10 points five times this season, averaging 6.7 points per game. The sophomore has 30 blocks, tied for the league lead with 1.7 per game, and is averaging 5.8 rebounds. She recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Texas State in the season opener, and had 15 points with 11 rebounds against Grambling State.Â
RANKED OPPONENTS
SMU defeated No. 19 Texas A&M 54-53 at home on Dec. 3, beating a top-25 opponent for the first time since March 9, 2008, when the Mustangs upset No. 18 UTEP in the Conference USA championship game. The Mustangs have played four top-25 opponents this season, including two in the top five (Connecticut and Mississippi State). SMU still has a game at No. 1 UConn on the schedule, as well as a game at Temple, a team currently receiving votes.Â
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Players Mentioned
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