DALLAS (SMU) - SMU was unable to overcome a torrid start by Houston, falling 85-75 on Saturday afternoon.

Senior McKenzie Adams led the Mustangs offensive, pouring in 25 points for her seventh 20-point game of the season. The Frisco, Texas, native was also active on the glass as well, grabbing seven rebounds. 

Senior Kiara Perry and junior Dai'ja Thomas joined Adams in double figures, scoring 14 and 10, respectively. Perry also finished with a game-high eight rebounds. 

The Cougars started extremely quickly, hitting 11 of its first 12 shots to jump out to an early 27-6 lead by the midway mark of the first quarter. SMU was able to chip away at the lead in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to as low as six points. However, Houston was able to extend it back out before halftime. 

After that 11-of-12 start, Houston only shot 34 percent for the remainder of the game. However, it was enough to hold off the Mustangs down the stretch. 

Houston entered the contest leading the conference in steals in part to its full-court pressure, and that was a strength for the Cougars on Saturday. SMU turned it over 27 times, leading to 33 points off turnovers for Houston. The Mustangs caused mistakes on defense as well, forcing 19 Cougar turnovers that led to 27 SMU points. 

SMU was able finish with a plus-16 rebounding margin, including plus-10 on the offensive glass that led to 20 second-chance points. However, it wasn't enough to completely erase the Houston lead. 

The loss was just SMU's second of the season at Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs are back at home again on January 3, hosting UCF at 7 p.m.