With three wins in the last four games, SMU faces No. 22/23 USF in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed online by the American Digital Network, and fans in the Dallas area can listen to the broadcast on KAAM 770 AM.
ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs are 10-15, 4-8 in The American. SMU won three of its last four games, including a 15-point comeback win against Tulsa. The deficit was the largest overcome during the
Travis Mays era, and one of just five comebacks of 15 points or more in the last decade. SMU posted 16-point come-from-behind win against Temple in January 2016.
McKenzie Adams is eighth in the conference and with 17.2 points per game.
Kiara Perry is also averaging double figures with 10.2 points per game, ranking 29th in the league, and has four double-doubles this season. Freshman
Ariana Whitfield is scoring 7.2 points per game.
Defensively, SMU is third in The American in scoring defense, allowing 60.3 points per game, and ranks second with a 36.0 defensive field goal percentage, 19th in the NCAA. The Mustangs have 119 blocks, averaging 4.8 per game, second in the league and 39th in the NCAA.
Klara Bradshaw has 45 blocks, tied for sixth in a season at SMU. The senior is tied for the league lead with 1.9 per game.
SMU is second in the league and ranks 25th nationally with 42.8 rebounds per game, and ranks 70th in the country with a +4.7 rebound margin. Perry and
Dai'ja Thomas lead the team and rank 12th in the league with 6.8 rebounds per game. Thomas tied the program record with 22 rebounds against ECU.
Johnasia Cash is 18th in the league with 6.0 rebounds per game. The freshman posted her first double-double with 18 points and 13 boards against Tulsa, both career highs.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
USF is 20-5 overall, 9-2 in The American, and ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 and 23 in the coaches' poll. The Bulls have won five straight, including a non-conference win against then-No. 12 Ohio State. Kitija Laksa leads the team with 20.2 points per game, and Maria Jespersen is averaging 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds. USF is outscoring opponents 76.5-61.3, and shooting 43.6 percent from the field.
SERIES HISTORY
SMU is 0-9 all-time against USF, with three losses in Tampa. The series started in Las Vegas on Dec. 19, 2010, when USF won 61-55. The teams became conference foes in 2013-14, and have met in the conference tournament each of the last two seasons.
NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
SMU will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day Saturday against Wichita State at 2 p.m. There is a postgame clinic after the game. NGWSD is a time to celebrate the achievements in girls and women's sports and the positive influence athletic participation brings to their lives. NGWSD recognizes the ongoing effort towards equality and access for women in sports and the nation's commitment to expand sport and participation opportunities for all girls and future generations.
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.
DEFEND YOUR HOUSE
SMU went 13-3 in Moody Coliseum last season, just two wins shy of the program-record 15 home wins during the 2012-13 season. The win total included a victory over then-No. 19 Texas A&M, while the three losses came against then-No. 1 Connecticut, then-No. 23 USF and a Tulane team that was receiving votes at the time of the matchup. This season, the Mustangs are 8-4 in Moody Coliseum, winning three of the last four home games.
INCREASED ATTENDANCE
SMU had the seventh largest increase in attendance last season, averaging an additional 1,028 fans per game in Moody Coliseum than the previous year.
SIGNING CLASS
Amber Bacon, a 5-5 guard from Grand Prairie, Texas, 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.
Desoto teammates and cousins Kayla and Jaquia White will continue to play together at the collegiate level on the Hilltop. Kayla, a 5-10 shooting guard, averaged 13.7 points per game last season, earning All-District honors. Jaquia is a tough tenacious combo guard at Desoto, who will serve as a very valuable piece for SMU especially on the defensive end. Both players are members of the National Honor Society. Together, the duo led Desoto to the third round of the state playoffs.
Alexis Leggett is a 6-3 post player from Ariton High School in Ariton, Ala. Rated as the No. 38 post player by ESPN, Leggett averages 10 points and 15 rebounds per game.
Marie Olson is the No. 21 post prospect according to ESPN, who averaged 10.1 points as a junior at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif., leading her team to the regional finals in the state tournament.
Brishonne 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.
BROKEN RECORD
For the third straight season, SMU set a program record in blocked shots, recording 187 as a team. SMU also set the single-season rebounds record with 1,409 boards last season. It was the second straight season in which the rebounds record was broken. The Mustangs finished with 1,331 rebounds in 2015-16, which was the most since the 1981-82 season.
This season, SMU is second in The American, averaging 4.8 blocks per game with 119 total blocks.
SMU SINGLE-SEASON BLOCKS
1. 187 2016-17
2. 184 2015-16
3. 160 2014-15
4. 142 2005-06
SMU SINGLE-SEASON REBOUNDS
1. 1,409 2016-17
2. 1,331 2015-16
3. 1,327 1981-82
SMU CAREER BLOCKS
1. Sarah Davis (2003-06) 180
2.
Stephanie Collins (2015-Present) 152
3.
Alicia Froling (2015-Present) 145
4. Karlin Kennedy (1996-00) 139
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.
Stephanie Collins also represented Australia at the 2012 World University Games.
Alicia Froling
As a junior,
Alicia Froling was the only player in The American to average a double-double, scoring a team-high 14.3 points per game with a league-best 10.0 rebounds. With 486 points, she climbed to 14th on the all-time scoring list at SMU with 1,213 career points. Froling is sixth all-time in rebounds with 884 after grabbing 339 to reset her own program record. She also has 147 career blocks, second all-time at SMU. She posted a program-record 17 double-doubles, and scored a season-high 28 points in the win against Louisiana Tech.
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
T-1. Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1983-87) 38
T-1. Janielle Dodds (2005-08) 38
3.
Alicia Froling (2015-Present) 36
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. Janielle Dodds (2004-08) 974
2. Karlin Kennedy (1996-2000) 946
3. Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1983-87) 933
4. Teri Baldwin (1977-80) 890
5. Christine Elliott (2008-12) 886
6.
Alicia Froling (2015-Present) 884
McKenzie Adams
McKenzie Adams ranks eighth in The American with 17.2 points per game. She reached double figures in 20 of 25 games, including 10 of 12 conference games. She posted two of the top-five scoring performances in program history. Her career-high 38 points in the season opener ranks third in a game at SMU, and she is tied with three other players with 35 points at Nevada. Adams is the first player at SMU with multiple 30-point games in a season since Keena Mays in 2013-14. She shot a season-high 60.0 percent at Nevada (12-20). Adams ranks 13th at SMU with 1,261, and has 1,518 points overall, including 257 at Arkansas.
SMU SINGLE-GAME SCORING
1. Jeannia Nix vs. Texas (2/28/89) 43
2. Shawna Ford vs. TCU (1/25/97) 42
3.
McKenzie Adams vs. Nicholls (11/10/17) 38
4. Shasta Smothers-Johnson vs. TCU (1/18/85) 36
T-5.
McKenzie Adams at Nevada (11/26/17) 35
T-5. Three other players 35
Kiara Perry
Kiara Perry is second on the team and 29th in The American with 10.2 points per game, reaching double figures in 14 games, including a career-high 23 points against TCU. Perry has four double-doubles this season. She has 56 steals, ranking sixth in The American with 2.2 per game. The senior is tied for 12th in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game, matching her career high with 14 twice this season.
ARIANNA WHITFIELD
Freshman
Ariana Whitfield is third on the team in scoring with 7.2 points per game. She has scored at least 10 seven times, including a career-high 18 points against Abilene Christian. Whitfield was 4-of-5 on 3-pointers at then-No. 21 Oklahoma. She scored 17 points vs McNeese. She matched her career high with eight rebounds and posted a career-high seven assists against Tulsa.
Stephanie Collins
Stephanie Collins is second on the all-time blocks list at SMU with 152 career blocks. She set the SMU single-season record with 73 as a sophomore. The post player averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds last season. She scored a season-high 10 points at Temple, and increased her scoring average to 6.5 in conference games. This season, Collins is shooting 41.3 percent with 3.2 points per game, scoring 10 at UT Arlington.
Dai'ja Thomas
Dai'ja Thomas matched the program record with 22 rebounds and matched her season high with 15 points against East Carolina. She also scored 15 against Grambling State. Thomas is tied for 12th in The American with 6.8 rebounds per game and averages 4.7 points.
Klara Bradshaw
Klara Bradshaw is tied for the lead in the conference with 1.9 blocks per game, posting 45. She recorded blocks in 20 of 25 games this season, and knocked away a career-high five blocks against TCU. The redshirt senior scored a season-high 12 points at home against Temple, and pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against CSU Bakersfield and again vs Cincinnati. She recorded her first double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds at ECU.
Travis Mays is Bradshaw's fourth head coach in college, and this is the first season the TCU transfer is working with the same coach in consecutive seasons.
Mikayla Reese
Mikayla Reese posted a career-high six assists in the opener against Nicholls this season, and followed it with six more against TCU. She is averaging 2.3 per game, and is scoring 3.0 points per game, including a season-high 10 against UCF.
Johnasia Cash
Johnasia Cash scored a career-high 18 points with a career-high 13 rebounds against Tulsa for her first double-double. Cash finished with 10 rebounds at UCF and at home against Temple. She has scored at least 10 points four times, and is averaging 6.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, 18th in the league. She was honored with the Jerry LeVias Outstanding Athlete Award by the SMU Association of Black Students.
