BOX SCORE  SEASON STATS  CONFERENCE ONLY

HOUSTON (SMU) - SMU women's basketball lost a close one on the road to Houston, 55-53, inside the Fertitta Center on Wednesday night.
 
The Mustangs led heading into the fourth quarter before a Houston comeback and close calls stalled the Mustang effort. SMU was led in scoring by Paige Bayliss who contributed 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
 
Reagan Bradley moved closer to the SMU freshman single-season assist mark after another large assist output for the first-year standout. Bradley contributed six assists to pull within two of the record. The freshman also added eight points, seven rebounds and three steals.
 
SMU pulled in 20 offensive boards and forced 23 Cougar turnovers in the tough losing effort. The Mustangs assisted on 14 of the 25 buckets.
 
The Mustangs (9-12, 3-6 AAC) exploded out of the gate against the Cougars. Bradley got things started with a three on the first possession and the Mustangs pushed the lead from there. Houston trailed SMU by 10 after the first quarter.
 
SMU led by as many as 14 in the second quarter, and took an 11 point lead into the half, thanks to a strong defensive stand near the end of the quarter. SMU forced a pair of shot-clock violations and kept Houston to one bucket in the final six minutes.
 
Houston (12-11, 4-4) inched closer in the third, bringing it to three points with 1:35 to play. SMU answered with five points in the final minute including Kayla White's buzzer-beating three which was originally ruled 'no basket' before review.
 
The Cougars hit three quick threes to begin the fourth, putting the SMU edge at one with 7:16 to play. They took their first lead with 5:57 left, but was quickly answered by a Mustang bucket and stop.  The game stayed within one score all the way to the end. Houston went in front by one with 1:26 remaining, but the Mustangs couldn't find the go-ahead bucket.
 
Johnasia Cash contributed eight points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes of floor time. The junior had her fifth multi-steal performance in the last six games.
 
Next up, he Mustangs return home to Moody Coliseum for a two-game home stand. SMU takes on Cincinnati on Saturday at 2 p.m. before facing ECU on Tuesday at 7 p.m.