SMU (8-10, 1-5 AAC) vs. Wichita State (11-9, 3-4 AAC)
Jan. 29, 2020 – 7 p.m.
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
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SMU hosts Wichita State in Moody Coliseum Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs won 78-50 in Dallas last season. 

YOUTH GAINS EXPERIENCE
• SMU returns three starters and seven total letterwinners from last season's squad, which was one of the two youngest teams in the country based on average age. This season's returners accounted for more than half of the minutes played a year ago, with the three starters averaging at least 29 minutes. 

RECRUITING YOUNG STARS
• Two seasons ago, Ariana Whitfield, a member of Travis Mays' first signing class, was named to the conference all-freshman team. Last season, Kayla White earned the honor after leading SMU with 11.4 points. This season, Mays added Arkansas Player of the Year and state champion Reagan Bradley.

MOODY MAGIC
• SMU is 378-239 at home all-time. Travis Mays has led the Mustangs to a 33-22 record in Moody Coliseum, winning 60 percent of home games. 

LAST TIME OUT
• Ariana Whitfield scored a season-high 23 points to lead SMU to a 57-38 win against Tulsa in Moody Coliseum Saturday. Whitfield came off the bench in the second quarter and finished 9-for-15 with five 3-pointers.
While the junior's offensive surge was a key, it was on the defensive end of the floor that SMU was most dominant. The Mustangs (8-10, 2-4 The American) allowed just three field goals in the first half, and led 35-13 at halftime.

THE OPPONENT - WICHITA ST.
• The Shockers won three straight AAC games before a loss to USF and an overtime loss at Houston. 

NEXT ON THE SLATE
• The Mustangs return to the road to take on UCF in Orlando Saturday. SMU then plays at Houston before the next home game on Feb. 8 vs. Cincinnati. 

AT HOME
• SMU is 6-6 at home with three one-point losses. The Mustangs held eight opponents to less than 60 points in Moody Coliseum, including a season-low 38 points against Tulsa. 38 points is the fewest scored by a conference opponent in Moody Coliseum since SMU beat San Jose State 58-37 on Jan. 15, 2005.

TEAM NOTES
• SMU set the Moody Coliseum record with 64 rebounds against North Dakota. The mark is tied for second in a game all-time at SMU (64 Feb. 19, 1998 at TCU; Record is 69 on Dec. 1, 1984).
• SMU averages 43.0 rebounds per game, 15th in the NCAA and second in The American. 
• SMU is 49th in the NCAA and fourth in the AAC in field-goal defense, holding opponents to 36.6 percent from the field. 
• SMU is 71st in the NCAA and fourth in The American in scoring defense, allowing 59.6 points per game. 

JOHNASIA CASH
Johnasia Cash ranks third in the conference with 9.3 rebounds per game and averages a team-high 10.6 points, 26th in the league. She posted season-highs with 18 points and 16 rebounds against North Dakota.  Cash tops the team and is third in the league in blocks with 27, averaging 1.5 per game. She posted four-block nights against Wright State and North Dakota. Cash ranks 52nd in the NCAA in rebounds per game and 96th in blocks per game.  

REAGAN BRADLEY
Reagan Bradley scored 13 points in her collegiate debut. She has games with nine, eight and seven assists, ranking second, third and tied for fourth by a freshman in a game at SMU. With a season-high nine assists against UTEP, Bradley tied for 16th in a game at SMU (SINGLE-GAME RECORD IS 11). She has seven games with at least five assists, including five of the last nine games. She averages 4.3 assists per game, eighth among freshmen in the NCAA and tied for fifth overall in The American. Bradley is scoring 9.8 points per game, shooting 35.1 percent from the field, and averages 5.2 rebounds, third on the team. With 78 assists, she needs 17 to tie the SMU freshman record (95 in 1982-83 by Tomi Hollis). She scored a season-high 18 points against George Mason and has scored at least 10 points 10 times, including seven of the last nine games. 

KAYLA WHITE
Kayla White scored 21 points against Wright State, including 15 in the second half, and followed it up with a 22-point performance against North Dakota. She ranks 28th in The American with 10.2 points per game as a sophomore. After three games with less than 10 points, White returned to form with an 8-for-10 shooting clip to finish with 17 points against George Mason, and reached double digits in five of the last seven games. She averages 4.4 rebounds, and grabbed a season-high nine against North Dakota. 

BRISHONNE TOLLIE
Brishonne Tollie is fifth on the team with 8.2 points per game, shooting 36.8 percent from the field. She is averaging 7.8 rebounds and is third on the team with 16 steals. She scored at least 10 in five of the first seven games, including a career-high 19 points against Rice. Last season, she averaged 3.6 points per game, shooting 35.4 percent from the field. She also averaged 2.8 rebounds and had 19 steals.

PAIGE BAYLISS
Paige Bayliss is averaging 6.5 points per game and shooting 51.0 percent from the floor. She scored a season-high 14 points  with a career-high 10 rebounds against UC Irvine for her first double-double. She reached double digits again versus George Mason, finishing with 11 points. Bayliss recorded her second double-double with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. The Australian scored at least 10 points in each of the last three games last season, including a career-high 15 in a conference tournament loss that ended the season. She is pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game, and has 15 blocks and 12 steals. 

AMBER BACON
Amber Bacon is fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game this season. She reached double digits nine times, including a season-high 16 points against CSUN, and scored a team-high 12 against UConn. She averages 4.1 rebounds per game, and is second the team lead with 30 steals. Bacon is hitting a team-best 70.0 percent from the free-throw line, 14th in the league, and is second on the team with 62 assists. She passed out six assists against McNeese and Wright State, and again at ECU. Bacon recorded four steals against both CSUN (Cal State Northridge) and UTEP. 

JAQUIA WHITE
JaQuia White is averaging 5.3 points per game, reaching double figures twice. She scored a career-high 13 points against McNeese, and scored at least seven points (2018-19's season high) in six of the last eight games. The stretch started with a 12-point performance against UTEP with a career-high five field goals, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc. White is shooting 34.6 percent, and she leads the team outside the arc, going 14-for-41 (34.1 percent) on 3-point attempts.

ARIANA WHITFIELD
Ariana Whitfield scored a season-high 23 points against Tulsa, one shy of her career-high, going 9-of-15 from the field. The junior was named to The American Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts. Last season, she led the team with 98 assists, while averaging 7.1 points per game. Whitfield scored a career-high 24 points in a win at Tulane, and handed out nine assists against Robert Morris, also a career high. Whitfield scored at least 10 points seven times last season.

SIGNING DAY
Three-time state champion Rhyle McKinney, all-state guard Tamia Jones and point guard Jayla Brooks, the 2018-19 District 10-6A Offensive Player of the Year, make up the SMU 2020 freshman class.

RHYLE McKINNEY
McKinney averaged 23.9 points with 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 steals as a junior. She was named Texas Class 1A-4A Player of the Year by the Texas Girls Coaches Association after leading Argyle to a 32-7 record, which included the program's fifth consecutive Class 4A state championship. McKinney was named to the all-state, all-area and all-district teams.

TAMIA JONES
Jones was named to the all-state team after a stellar year at The Colony High School, where she led her team to the Class 5A Region I semifinals. She scored 14 points in a 68-66 loss to eventual state champion Amarillo, averaging 16.2 points and 4.7 assists for the season.

JAYLA BROOKS
As a junior, Brooks led Sachse to the Texas 6A Region II quarterfinals before a one-point loss to eventual state semifinalist Allen, 49-48. She is a three-time first-team all-district selection. During her sophomore year, Brooks led Sachse to one of the most prolific comeback wins in program history. Trailing Pflugerville Hendrickson 27-4 in the second quarter of the 2018 Class 6A Region II semifinal, Brooks aided in the comeback to send Sachse to just its second region final in school history.