No. 9 SMU (11-18, 5-11 American) vs. No. 8 East Carolina (15-14, 6-10 American)
Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, Conn.
March 8, 2019 – 2 pm ET
TV: ESPN3 | Radio: KAAM 770 AM | Live Stats

For the third straight season, SMU faces East Carolina in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship Friday at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. The Mustangs will compete as the No. 9 seed in the tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Fans in the Dallas area can listen to the broadcast on KAAM 770 AM.  

QUICK HITS
• SMU won three of its last four games.
• Alicia Froling is the career leader at SMU in rebounds (1,149), blocks (203) and double-doubles (45).
• The Mustangs won the LMU Thanksgiving Classic.
• SMU outscored NAU 20-0 in the 4th quarter at LMU.
• SMU scored a season-high 78 points in a win against Wichita State. 
• SMU beat USF for the first time in program history.
• Froling tied the SMU single-game record with seven blocks in a win against the Shockers.
• Ariana Whitfield scored a career-high 24 at Tulane.
• Kayla White scored a career-high 22 at Rice.
• Paige Bayliss scored a career-high 14 at ECU.

ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs started the season tied two other programs for the youngest roster in the country with an average age of 19.0. The squad includes seven freshmen. Senior Alicia Froling is third in the conference and 55th in the NCAA in rebounding (9.1) and leads the league in blocks (1.9). She is 22nd in points with 10.5 per game, while freshman Kayla White is 18th with a team-high 11.4 points per game. SMU is fifth in the league and 45th in the NCAA in field goal defense (.367), and second the league and 27th in the NCAA in rebounds (42.0). 

HARD KNOCKS
SMU has five losses by a combined six points. 62-61 in overtime against Alabama, followed by a 65-63 deficit at TCU. A 63-62 loss to Southeastern Louisiana made it three straight, and SMU lost, 58-57, at Northern Colorado. Houston scored with five seconds left in overtime for a one-point win at home, 69-68.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
East Carolina is 15-14 overall and 6-10 in The American, losing three of its last five games. Lashonda Monk leads the team with 13.1 points, and Raven Johnson averages 12.6 with with a team-best 6.5 rebounds. As a team, the Pirates score 61.4 points per game, while opponents average 64.3 points. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
SMU is 8-13 all-time against East Carolina, with the Pirates winning two this season. The Pirates eliminated the Mustangs from the conference tournament in 2018, 85-74, after SMU eliminated ECU in 2017, 60-54 in overtime. SMU is 2-2 against the Pirates in conference tournament games, winning 77-69 in 2009 and losing 76-62 in 2007. The series started on Jan. 27, 2006, with a 75-63 ECU win.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
SMU won the WAC championship in 1999 and the Conference USA crown in 2008. The Mustangs are 2-5 at The American championship, including the win against ECU in Travis Mays' first season. This is the first time SMU has played in the 8-9 game in The American, and only the second time SMU has been seeded ninth, losing to UTEP in 2011, 75-57. 

ALICIA FROLING
Alicia Froling holds the all-time record at SMU in rebounds (1,149) and blocks (203). She passed Janielle Dodds with her 975th rebound against North Texas, and posted her 181st block against Tulane to pass Sarah Davis. Froling is third at SMU in scoring with 1,518 points. 
She is the only women's player at SMU with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, grabbing her 1,000th rebound against CSU Bakersfield. The senior joins men's players Jon Koncak and Ira Terrell as the only Mustangs to reach the milestone. 

SMU CAREER REBOUNDS
1.    Alicia Froling (2015-Present)    1149
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

SMU CAREER POINTS
1.    Janielle Dodds (2004-08)    1861
2.    Karlin Kennedy (1996-2000)    1785
3.    Alicia Froling (2015-Present)    1518
4.    Kerri Delaney (1992-96    1503
5.    Shanell Thomas (1990-93)    1480
6.    Kim Brandl (1994-97)    1458
7.    Brittany Gilliam (2006-10)    1455
8.    Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1983-87)    1426

SMU CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES
1.    Alicia Froling (2015-Present)    45
T-2.    Shasta Smothers-Johnson (1983-87)    38
T-2.    Janielle Dodds (2005-08)    38

SMU CAREER BLOCKS
1.    Alicia Froling (2015-Present)    203
2.    Sarah Davis (2003-06)    180
3.    Stephanie Collins (2015-18)    158

MAKENZIE ELLIS
Makenzie Ellis has started 15 of 28 games played this season after sitting out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules. She is averaging 3.8 points with 4.5 rebounds per game. Ellis scored a season-high eight points against Robert Morris, and grabbed seven rebounds twice. She came up with the steal that led to Tollie's game-tying 3-pointer against Temple. It was her third of the game, giving her 23 on the season.Ellis 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). 

ARIANA WHITFIELD
Ariana Whitfield scored a career-high 24 points at Tulane, and is averaging 7.2 points with a team-high 97 assists. She scored 14 against Memphis, reaching double-digits for a second straight game. The sophomore scored six points against Temple, including the game winner with nine seconds left. She scored 16 points in the  win against North Texas, and the  sophomore  passed out seven assists in both games against ECU, matching her career high. She scored 11 points at Northern Colorado and against Wichita State, and finished with 10 in the season opener against Louisiana Monroe and against ECU. She was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team last season  after scoring 7.9 points per game with 65 assists.

JOHNASIA CASH
Johnasia Cash scored a season-high 14 points with 12 rebounds against Houston for her first double-double of the season. She matched the season high with 14 points at ECU, and had with 14 points and 12 rebounds at Tulane. She had 13 points with eight rebounds at Houston. She scored 12 points with 12 rebounds at No. 3 UConn. She matched her career-high with 13 rebounds against Northern Arizona. She is second on the team with 6.7 rebounds per game, 12th in the league, and averages 6.4 points. As a freshman, she averaged 5.1 points with 5.9 rebounds. 

NEW KIDS ON THE HILLTOP
With seven freshmen on the 11-player roster, SMU was  tied with the University of Maryland Baltimore County for the youngest team in the country at the start of the season with an average age of 19.0.

YOUNGEST AVERAGE AGE
1.    SMU (11-18)    19.0
1.    UMBC (10-19)    19.0
1.    Boston College (14-15)    19.0
4.    Oklahoma (8-20)    19.1 
4.    Georgia Tech (17-12)    19.1 
6.    Wichita State (12-17)    19.2

MOST FRESHMEN
1.    Wichita State (11-18)    8 
1.    FAU (5-23)    8
1.    Boston College (14-15)    8
3.    SMU (11-18)    7
3.    Oklahoma (8-20)    7
3.    Vermont (11-17)    7

AMBER BACON
Amber Bacon has played in 17 of 29 games, missing the last 11 with injury. The freshman is third on the team with 8.9 points per game. She has scored at least 10 points eight 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 is tied for the team lead with 27 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. 

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 26 games, averaging 10.7 minutes. Bayliss has 88 points and 63 total rebounds, scoring a season-high 14 points at ECU and 12 against Memphis, going 5-of-7 from the field in each game. She scored eight points against UCF, and scored six each in a stretch of three games earlier this season. She grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds at Tulsa. Bayliss 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.
 
MARIE OLSON
Marie Olson has played in 26 games, starting nine conference games. The freshman missed three games due to injury, before returning at ECU.  She  has  82  points  with a season-high 13 points to lead SMU at Tulsa. The 6-of-10 shooting performance came on the heels of a 12-point game at Houston. In conference games, she is 10-of-37 on 3-point attempts and averages 4.8 points. 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 29 games with eight starts, averaging 11.9 minutes. She scored 13 of her 103 points against MVSU, and reached double figures again with a team-high 12 at Cincinnati.  She scored eight points in a win against Temple, including a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to tie the score, 51-51. She had a season-high seven rebounds against MVSU. Against Oklahoma, she finished with nine points and five rebounds in 18 minutes, and scored nine at Houston with three 3-pointers. 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 two games, averaging 23.5 minutes during the tournament. She has played in 25 games total this season, averaging 18.7 minutes. She scored a season-high seven points against Wichita State and had six points against Oklahoma. 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 averages a team-high 11.4 points per game, 18th in The American. The freshman has scored at least 10 in 21 games, including 10 of the last 14. In conference games, White is averaging a team-best 10.6 points, scoring 18 at Houston and 16 against Wichita State. She has scored at least 15 in four conference games, leading SMU with 17 at ECU. She finished with 14 against Wichita State and against Memphis. White scored a season-high 22 against Rice. 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.