SMU plays at Rice Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN3 in its first game in 10 days after a break for final exams. Fans in the Dallas area can listen to the broadcast on KAAM 770 AM.

QUICK HITS
• SMU started the season with a pair of wins at home.
• The Mustangs won the LMU Thanksgiving Classic.
• SMU outscored NAU 20-0 in the 4th quarter at LMU.
• SMU's four losses are by a combined five points.
• SMU is 16-3 in home non-conference games under Coach Mays.
• Alicia Froling recorded a double-double in her first game back after missing 2017-18 due to injury.
• Froling is the all-time SMU leader in rebounds (978).
• Froling set a program record at TCU with her 39th career double-double and has three this season.
• Froling leads the team with 14.0 ppg and 11.9 rpg.
• Freshmen Kayla White (12.0 ppg) and Amber Bacon (10.4 ppg) are both averaging double figures.

ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs have the youngest roster in the country, matching the University of Maryland Baltimore County with an average age of 19.0. Senior Alicia Froling had not played a competitive game with any player on SMU's current roster prior to this season, missing 2017-18 due to a knee injury. The squad includes seven freshmen, trailing only Wichita State and FAU.

HARD KNOCKS
SMU is 5-4 overall this season, losing four games by a combined five points. The Mustangs lost by one, 62-61, in overtime against Alabama. The first road game had SMU coming up two points short at TCU, 65-63, and then a 63-62 defeat at home against Southeastern Louisiana. Another one-point road loss came when SMU lost 58-57 at Northern Colorado when the Bears took the lead with four seconds left. The Alabama game is the second overtime game under Travis Mays. SMU defeated Louisiana Tech 75-70 in the second round of the WNIT in his first season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Rice is 6-2, winning six straight after losses at Texas A&M and at UCLA. Erica Ogwumike leads the team with 19.6 points and 10.6 rebounds, but is the only player on the team scoring in double figures. Laurne Grigsby is second on the team with 9.9 points per game. As a team, the Owls score 69.1 points per game, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 36.9 percent on 3-point attempts.    
 
SERIES HISTORY
SMU is 35-34 all-time against Rice. This is the first meeting since the 2012-13 season, after which the Mustangs joined the American Athletic Conference. The two programs were conference rivals from 1982-83 until 2013. Rice won the first matchup, 57-54, at home on Jan. 16, 1979, and the Owls are 22-10 at home against the Mustangs. Each team won at home in 2013 as they split the season series. SMU won 73-51 on Jan. 20 before Rice took a 58-46 victory on March 7. 

POSTSEASON IN FIRST SEASON
In his first season as head coach, Travis Mays guided the Mustangs to a 19-13 record, including a pair of WNIT wins. SMU advanced to the round of 16 in the tournament with wins at home against Louisiana Tech and Abilene Christian. It was the first time since 1993 that an SMU team won twice in a postseason tournament. 

ALICIA FROLING
With her 10th rebound against North Texas, Alicia Froling broke Janielle Dodds' SMU career rebounds record with 975. The senior has 988, needing 12 to become the first women's player with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds at SMU. She is tied for 10th in program history with 1,337 points. The Queensland, Australia, native has a program-record 42 double-doubles, and ranks second in blocks with 167.

SMU SINGLE SEASON DOUBLE-DOUBLES
1.    Alicia Froling (2016-17)     17
2.    Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1984-85)    15
3.    Alicia Froling (2015-16)    14

SMU CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES
1.    Alicia Froling (2015-Present)    41
T-2.    Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1983-87)    38
T-2.    Janielle Dodds (2005-08)    38

INDIVIDUAL SEASON REBOUNDS LIST
1.    Alicia Froling (2016-17)    339
2.    Alicia Froling (2015-16)    328
3.    Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1984-85)    310

SMU CAREER REBOUNDS
1.    Alicia Froling (2015-Present)    988
2.    Janielle Dodds (2004-08)    974
3.    Karlin Kennedy (1996-2000)    946
4.    Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1983-87)    933
5.    Teri Baldwin (1977-80)    890

READY TO PLAY
Makenzie Ellis has started seven of nine  games  played this season after sitting out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules. She is averaging 4.3 points with 5.0 rebounds per game. The junior started all 33 games as a sophomore at Colorado, scoring at least 10 points eight times, including a career-high 18 points against then-No. 10 Washington. She averaged 6.4 points, shooting 35.7 percent from the field, and made 33-of-89 attempts from 3-point range (37.1 percent). A 6-2 forward, Makenzie tied for second on the team with 4.2 rebounds per game, including a season-high nine rebounds in a win over Washington State. She was an Academic All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection.

ARIANA WHITFIELD
Ariana Whitfield is averaging 8.2 points with a team-high 32 assists. She scored a season-high 16 points in the  win against North Texas, and the  sophomore  passed out six assists at TCU. She was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team last season  after scoring 7.9 points per game with 65 assists, second on the team.

JOHNASIA CASH
Johnasia Cash scored a season-high nine points against North Texas and grabbed 13 rebounds against Northern Arizona, including eight in the fourth quarter. As a freshman, she started 10 games and averaged 5.1 points with 5.9 rebounds. She had a double-double against Tulsa with season-highs in points, 18, and rebounds, 13. Cash was honored with the Jerry LeVias Outstanding Athlete Award by the SMU Association of Black Students.

MORGAN SMITH
Morgan Smith has played in five of nine games this season with two rebounds, two steals and a block. As     a freshman, she played in 28 of 30 games, scoring a season-high seven points against Loyola Marymount.

NEW KIDS ON THE HILLTOP
With seven freshmen on the 13-player roster, SMU is  tied with the University of Maryland Baltimore County for the youngest team in the country with an average age of 19.0.

YOUNGEST AVERAGE AGE
1.    SMU    19.0
1.    UMBC    19.0
3.    Oklahoma    19.1 
3.    Georgia Tech    19.1 
5.    Wichita State    19.2

MOST FRESHMEN
1.    Wichita State    8 
1.    FAU    8
3.    SMU    7
3.    Oklahoma    7
3.    Vermont    7

AMBER BACON
Amber Bacon has played in all nine games with seven starts. The freshman is third on the team with 11.0 points per game. She has scored at least 10 points five times, including a season-high 18 points to lead the team at TCU. She was named to the LMU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament team, scoring 20 points with five rebounds, eight assists and six steals in two wins. She leads the team with 19 steals overall.
A 5-5 guard from Grand Prairie, Texas, Bacon was named Defensive MVP in Texas 7-6A last season. She averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 assists as a junior at South Grand Prairie High School, earning All-State honors. Bacon is the No. 75 guard prospect according to ESPN and was named to the All-Region team, as well as the TGCA All-Star team. She also excels in the classroom, earning Academic All-District honors in each of her first three seasons.

PAIGE BAYLISS
Paige Bayliss, a 6-5 post player from Queensland, Australia, was a member of the 2018 U18 Australia  team. She has played in nine games, averaging 9.8 minutes. Scoring six points in three of the last four games, Bayliss has 28 points and 16 total rebounds. She averaged 5.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in the 2018 U20 Australia championship for Queensland, winning a silver medal with the squad. In 2017,  she was a member of  the gold-medal winning Australia team at the FIBA U17 Women's Oceania Championship. She also represented Queensland in the 2017 U18 championship, and was listed as the No. 2 post prospect at the tournament by Premier Basketball Report.
 
MARIE OLSON
Marie Olson has played in all nine games  with  one start, averaging 10.8 minutes.  She  has  15  points  with a season-high four against  Southeastern  Louisiana,  and 12 rebounds. Olson was the No. 21 post prospect according to ESPN. A standout at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif., Olson averaged 10.1 points as a junior, leading her team to the regional finals in the state tournament. She has been named to the All- Conference team, served as a team captain, and was named Most Valuable Offensive Player.

BRISHONNE TOLLIE
Brishonne Tollie has played in nine games with one start, averaging 7.3 minutes. She scored 13 of her 19 points against MVSU, playing 24 minutes.  She  also  had a season-high seven rebounds in the game. Tollie   is a 6-2 post player from Bartow, Fla. During her junior season, she averaged 18.0 points and 11.9 rebounds, leading her team to the regional quarterfinals of the state tournament. As a freshman, she was named Player of the Year at Montverde Academy, averaging 13.5 points and leading the team in rebounds with 7.0 per game. It was her first of three MVP awards as Tollie led her team in both scoring and rebounding each season.

JAQUIA WHITE
JaQuia White started the first game of the season, grabbing two rebounds in 16 minutes before suffering an injury. She returned for the LMU Thanksgiving Classic, playing in both games. She scored seven points with   five rebounds in the games, averaging 23.5 minutes. Along with her cousin, Kayla White, Jaquia led DeSoto  to the third round of the state playoffs. In addition to her on court ability, She also excels in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society.

KAYLA WHITE
Kayla White is second on the team with 12.0 points per game, scoring at least 10 in six games. She scored a season-high 19 against MVSU, and is one of three players and the only freshman to start all nine games  for the Mustangs. She has a team-high nine 3-pointers made. A 5-10 shooting guard, White averaged 13.7 points per game last season, earning All-District honors. She also excels in the classroom and was a member     of the National Honor Society. Along with her cousin, JaQuia White, Kayla led DeSoto to the third round of the state playoffs.

SIGNING DAY
Reagan Bradley signed to play basketball at SMU in 2019-20. The Little Rock, Ark., standout guard earned all-state awards each of her first three seasons, averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds for her career. As a junior at Little Rock Christian Academy, Bradley scored 17.6 points, shooting 43.6 percent, with 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The Warriors finished with a 28-3 record, winning the conference championship and advancing to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Bradley scored 29 points to lead LRCA in the conference championship game, and finished with a career-high 35 points earlier in the season.

ONE-POSSESSION LOSSES
All four of SMU's losses total a combined five-point margin. Three of the losses are one-point defeats, including one in overtime, and the Mustangs lost by two at TCU. SMU is one of only three teams in the country yet to lose by more than two points, excluding undefeated teams. 

MOST LOSSES BY TWO POINTS OR LESS
1.    SMU    4 
2.    Illinois    2
3.    Arizona    1
4.    18 Undefeated Teams    0