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UNCASVILLE, Conn. (SMU) – The Mustangs fell in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship to the ECU Pirates, 50-48, in overtime on Friday afternoon from Mohegan Sun Arena.

Down by as many as 14 in the game, the Mustangs pulled off a furious late game rally that enabled them to extend the contest. erasing a five-point ECU advantage with 1:31 remaining. With Kayla White's game-trying three with 27 second remaining and a stop on the defensive end, the Mustangs were able to force overtime against ECU. The Pirate offense outscored the Mustangs 4-2 in the extra session to secure a spot in the quarterfinals against UConn.

At the game's beginning, the Mustangs found themselves in an early hole, but SMU was able to hold ECU scoreless for the final 3:06 of the first quarter to pull within four. The second quarter was low scoring, as the Pirates outscored the Mustangs, 8-7, who trailed by five at the intermission.

At the start of the second half, ECU was able to stretch the lead to 14 thanks to a tough shooting stretch for SMU, a stretch that ended with Paige Bayliss' bucket at the 4:20 mark. The bucket sparked a 10-0 SMU run that helped the Mustangs close the gap to just six points with 10 minutes of gametime remaining.

The fourth quarter saw the Mustangs down eight with four minutes remaining, before the Mustangs began their comeback. Bayliss chipped in five points during the stretch, while Johnasia Cash added four points. Bayliss' layup with 79 seconds left cut it to a one-score game, before the game's exciting finish.

The Mustangs finish the campaign with a 11-19 record, ending the season winning three of their last five games. ECU improves to 16-14 and will return to the floor on Saturday for their matchup with the No. 1 seed and third-ranked team in the nation, the UCONN Huskies.

The contest was the second overtime game in the history of the American Athletic Conference Women's Championship. The Mustangs were the victors in the previous occasion in 2016 against UCF. Friday's matchup was the third consecutive year the Mustangs have met the Pirates at the conference tournament.

For the second game in a row, Bayliss led the Mustangs in scoring. The freshman dropped 15 on the Pirates on 5-of-11 shooting and hit 5-of-7 from the line, pulling in seven boards and recording two blocks. Makenzie Ellis had an 8-rebound performance and topped the team in assists with three.