SMU (11-14, 5-8 AAC) vs. Houston (12-14, 5-8 AAC)
Feb. 22, 2020 – 2 p.m.
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
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SMU hosts in-state rival Houston Saturday at 2 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. Tied with the Cougars in the American Athletic Conference standings, the Mustangs will look to improve their position in the league heading into the conference tournament with an opportunity to avenge a last-second, two-point loss at Houston on Feb. 5.

YOUTH GAINS EXPERIENCE
• Of the seven players averaging more than 20 minutes for the Mustangs, five are sophomores and one is a freshman. Not counting Brishonne Tollie, who suffered a season-ending knee injury 11 games into the season, all of the underclassmen have played in more than 20 games with at least 15 starts.Freshman Reagan Bradley has started all 25 games and averages a team-high 34.0 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.

LAST TIME OUT
• SMU outscored Wichita State 20-8 in the fourth quarter to come from behind and win 72-67 in Wichita, Kan., Wednesday night.
• Johnasia Cash scored 14 points with 12 rebounds for her 10th double-double.
• Amber Bacon scored a team-high 17.
• Reagan Bradley recorded seven assists, her fifth game with at least seven, and scored 13 points.
• Kayla White scored 16 points and was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. 

THE OPPONENT - HOUSTON
• Houston is 12-14 overall and 5-7 in The American, losing three straight since a last second win at home against SMU. 
• Three current players average 10 points or more, but opponents are averaging four more points per game, 66.9-62.8.

NEXT ON THE SLATE
• SMU gets a week off before playing its final regular-season road game at USF on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Mustangs host Memphis on March 2 for the regular-season finale. 

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 42.0 rebounds per game, 26th in the NCAA and third in The American. 
• SMU is 63rd in the NCAA and fourth in the AAC in field-goal defense, holding opponents to 37.2 percent from the field. 
• SMU is 65th in the NCAA and fourth in The American in scoring defense, allowing 59.5 points per game. 

JOHNASIA CASH
Johnasia Cash ranks third in the conference with 9.4 rebounds per game and averages 10.7 points. She scored a career-high 25 points against Cincinnati and grabbed 12 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season, and now has 10 for the year. She finished with 18 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against North Dakota.  Cash tops the team and is fourth in the league in blocks with 37, averaging 1.5 per game. She posted four-blocks three times. Cash ranks 45th in the NCAA in rebounds per game.  

REAGAN BRADLEY
Reagan Bradley surpassed Tomi Hollis (1982-83) to set the SMU freshman single-season assists record against Cincinnati with her 96th assist of the season. She has 113 on the year, needing 13 to crack the overall single-season top 10. Bradley ranks 76th in the NCAA and eighth among freshmen with 4.5 per game, second in The American, and averages 9.6 points. With a season-high nine assists against UTEP, Bradley tied for 16th in a game at SMU (SINGLE-GAME RECORD IS 11). She has 12 games with at least five assists, including six of the last eight games. She scored a season-high 18 points against George Mason and has scored at least 10 points 11 times, including eight of the last 12 games. 

SMU RECORDS

FRESHMAN SINGLE-GAME ASSISTS
    1.    Kendall Shead     (1/25/03 vs. Tulsa)    10
    2.    Reagan Bradley     (12/19/19 vs. UTEP)    9
    3.    Reagan Bradley     (11/5/19 vs. McNeese)    8
    T4.    Reagan Bradley     (12/9/19 vs. North Dakota)    7
    T4.    Reagan Bradley    (1/29/20 vs. Wichita State)    7
T4.        Reagan Bradley    (2/19/20 at Wichita State)    7
    T4.    Five other players        7

FRESHMAN SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS
    1.    Reagan Bradley    2019-20    106
    2.    Tomi Hollis    1982-83    95

OVERALL SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS
    1.    Suzanne McAnally    1991-92    189
    10.    Brittany Gilliam    2008-09    126
...        Reagan Bradley    2019-20    113

KAYLA WHITE
Kayla White leads the team with 11.1 points, and has scored at least 10 points 11 times. She scored a season-high 22 points against North Dakota, one game after dropping 21 against Wright State. She led the team with 18 points in a win at ECU in January, and scored 20 against the Pirates at home. White leads the team with 17 made 3-pointers, and is shooting 37.6 percent from the field. 

PAIGE BAYLISS
Paige Bayliss has three games with at least 10 rebounds, including two against AAC opponents. Bayliss posted her second double-double of the season with a career-high 15 rebounds and 13 points against Tulane. The first double-double of her career came with 14 points and 10 rebounds against UC Irvine. Overall, Bayliss is averaging 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, with a team-high 50.7 shooting percentage. 

AMBER BACON
Amber Bacon is fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game, and has led the Mustangs in scoring five times this season. She has reached double digits 12 times, including a season-high 17 points at Wichita State. With 16 points at Tulsa, Bacon has been the team leader in each of the past two games. She is second on the team with 41 steals, and is hitting a team-best 74.3 percent from the free-throw line, 11th in the league. Bacon is second on the team with 78 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 5.0 points per game, reaching double figures twice. She scored a career-high 13 points against McNeese, and finished with 12 against UTEP. White is shooting 34.4 percent, and she leads the team outside the arc, going 15-for-47 (31.9 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. Limited this season due to injuries earlier in the year, she is averaging 5.4 points with a 36.4 shooting percentage. 

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.