DALLAS (SMU) - Paige Bayliss' putback in the final seconds pushed SMU past UC Irvine, 59-56, on Sunday afternoon inside Moody Coliseum.
 
In a tie game with 17 seconds remaining, Bayliss pulled down an offensive rebound over the crowd for her 10th of the game. The sophomore center went right back up for the score to give SMU a 58-56 lead.The SMU defense held the Anteaters scoreless on their final two possessions for the victory. Bayliss recorded her first career double-double with a team-best 14 points lead SMU to its sixth win of the season, improving to 5-3 at home.
 
SMU (6-5) started the game on a 9-0 run before Irvine responded with a run of their own, ending the quarter with a three-point edge.

UC-Irvine (3-10) extended the lead to as many as nine before the Mustangs closed the half with a flurry of buckets. The 10-0 run was punctuated by a Reagan Bradley buzzer-beating three that put SMU in front, 33-32, at the intermission.
 
Both teams traded buckets in the third with the Anteaters coming out with a three-point advantage heading into the final frame.
 
After UCI stretched the lead to eight, the Mustangs roared back tying the game at 53 with four minutes remaining as Paige Bayliss knotted the game with a bucket. After UCI pushed it back to three, Bradley converted a huge and-one to tie the game with 1:28 to play.
 
After Bayliss hit the go-ahead bucket, the Mustangs forced a stop. With Irvine forced to foul, Bradley knocked down a free throw to push the lead to three with just five seconds remaining.
 
Johnasia Cash recorded her sixth double-double of the season with a 12-point, 13-rebound performance. Cash added three steals and two blocks to her stat line. Bradley finished with 14 points, five assists and four rebounds.
 
SMU was aided by a strong three-point shooting performance, knocking down 4-of-7 from behind the arc. JaQuia White hit both of her long-distance attempts. The Mustangs also hit 13-of-18 from the free-throw line.
 
The Mustangs wrap up their non-conference slate on Tuesday with a 2 p.m. home tip against George Mason.