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By Alex Riley - Special to SMUMustangs.com

DAYTON, Ohio – Late-game heroics are becoming the norm for Emmanuel Bandoumel. Last year against ranked Houston, the junior sank a 3-pointer about 30 seconds left to play that provided the deciding points in an overtime win.

The noise inside Moody Coliseum that night was deafening, creating an unforgettable celebratory moment. Saturday's deciding shot at Dayton had a much different feeling, as cardboard cutouts don't make much noise.

With few fans in attendance for the afternoon matinee, Bandomuel's floater from the left side with .2 left on the clock was met with screams from the nearby SMU bench and silence from the rest of University of Dayton Arena, as the Mustangs earned a 66-64 road victory.

"Those kinds of moments are great and you've just got to enjoy it all the time because you don't have a lot of opportunities to see that," Bandoumel said. He finished with 19 points. "Every time it comes to you, you've just got to enjoy it and embrace it."

SMU (4-0) remained perfect on the young season, while ending Dayton's 20-game win streak. The Flyers (1-1), who finished the 2019-20 campaign ranked third in the county, lost only twice last season falling last to Colorado in overtime back on Dec. 21, 2019.

The improbable finish capped a day where the Mustangs spent more than 30 minutes trailing and never led by more than three. Down 61-60 with 2:22 left, both teams went cold for a stretch before Bandoumel hit a jumper with just under a minute to play to put SMU ahead by one. After a missed jumper by Dayton, SMU's Kendric Davis knocked down a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left to give the Mustangs their largest advantage of the day at 64-61.

Dayton's Ibi Watson responded with 9 seconds left in regulation, hitting a 3-pointer to pull even for the seventh tie of the day. That set the stage for Bandoumel's game-deciding basket as Dayton's desperation attempt with under half a second on the clock was nowhere close.

"In these kinds of moments, you don't want to think too much," Bandoumel said. "I was just thinking, 'Hey, make the play.' I was just thinking, 'I'm going to rim, nobody is going to stop me. I'll shoot it and if somebody does (stop me) there's a kick out and somebody else is going to make the shot. I was just thinking about being aggressive and not thinking too much."

With Tuesday's game against Vanderbilt canceled for this season and moved to the 2021-22 campaign, the Mustangs have an 11-day break before the American Athletic Conference opener against East Carolina on Dec. 16.

At this point in a normal year, SMU would have close to 10 nonconference games and two scrimmages already under their belt, but as COVID-19 continues to change the landscape of college athletics the Mustangs are having to learn on the fly. Saturday, they learned a lot.

"By now, you'd have a great sense of direction, but we're slowly learning. And games like this really help," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said.

 

MUSTANGS WIN!!!
66-64 at Dayton! #PonyUp pic.twitter.com/AtGoBFrBB7

— SMU Basketball (@SMUBasketball) December 5, 2020

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Emmanuel Bandoumel hit a short jump shot with less than a second left to lift SMU to a 66-64 win over Dayton on Saturday.

Ibi Watson drilled a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game but Bandoumel took the ball toward the low block on the left side of the lane, twisted and floated a one-hander that landed softly on the back of the rim and dropped through.

Kendric Davis scored 21 points to lead the Mustangs (4-0) and Bandoumel added 19.

Ibi Watson had 23 points and six rebounds for the Flyers (1-1). Chase Johnson added 14 points. Jalen Crutcher had 10 points and seven assists.

SMU Postgame Notes – December 5, 2020
SMU 66, [-/rv] Dayton 64
SMU (4-0), Dayton (1-1)
UD Arena – Dayton, Ohio
 
NEXT GAME
 
ECU – Wednesday, December 16 – 7 p.m. CT – Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KAAM 770 AM | TuneIn app | SMU Mobile App
 
TEAM NOTES
 
Starters: #1 Feron Hunt, #3 Kendric Davis, #5 Emmanuel Bandoumel, #22 Isiah Jasey, #25 Ethan Chargois

• Same for each game this season

 
Emmanuel Bandoumel hit the game-winner with 0.2 on the clock
 
SMU overcame a 10-point deficit (42-32), the 11^th time SMU has comeback from double digits to win under Tim Jankovich
 
SMU is 4-0  on the season

• SMU is 51-12 in regular-season non-conference games under Tim Jankovich, including 7-4 in non-conference road games
• SMU is 94-49 under Tim Jankovich

 
ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL NOTES
 
Emmanuel Bandoumel (#5, Jr., G)

• Career-high 19 points (was 17 vs A&M-Corpus Christi)
  • Third straight game with at least 12 points
• Career-high 10 FT attempts (6-10)

 
Kendric Davis (#3, Jr., G)- Preseason All-AAC First Team

• 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals
  • 3^rd time this season and 8^th at SMU with at least 20 points