SMU (9-11, 3-5 AAC) at Houston (11-11, 4-4 AAC)
Feb. 5, 2020 – 7 p.m.
Houston, Texas | Fertitta Center
Video | Live Stats | Radio | Game Notes

SMU Social Apps
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SMU Mobile App
Apple | Google Play

SMU plays a second straight road contest, taking on in-state rival Houston Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the Fertitta Center. The Cougars are 8-2 on their home floor this 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 379-239 at home all-time. Travis Mays has led the Mustangs to a 34-22 record in Moody Coliseum, winning 61 percent of home games. 

LAST TIME OUT
• UCF pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat SMU, 67-57, in Addition Arena Saturday afternoon.
• Reagan Bradley scored 17 points to lead a trio of Mustangs in double figures, but was held to just one point in the second half. Ariana Whitfield, Johnasia Cash and Amber Bacon combined for 21 of SMU's 25 second-half points. Bacon finished the game with 10 points, while Whitfield tallied 12, eight in the last 20 minutes.

THE OPPONENT - HOUSTON
• Houston is 11-11 overall, but 8-2 at home. The Cougars are 3-2 in their last five games with a pair of overtime wins.
 
NEXT ON THE SLATE
• SMU returns home to take on Cincinnati Saturday at 2 p.m. The Mustangs then play ECU for the second time Tuesday in Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. SMU won the first game, 55-47, in Greenville, N.C.

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, 31st in the NCAA and fourth in The American. 
• SMU is 55th in the NCAA and fourth in the AAC in field-goal defense, holding opponents to 36.9 percent from the field. 
• SMU is 64th in the NCAA and third in The American in scoring defense, allowing 59.2 points per game. 

JOHNASIA CASH
Johnasia Cash ranks third in the conference with 9.2 rebounds per game and averages 10.5 points, 27th in the league. She posted season-highs with 18 points and 16 rebounds against North Dakota.  Cash tops the team and is fourth in the league in blocks with 27, averaging 1.4 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. With a season-high nine assists against UTEP, Bradley tied for 16th in a game at SMU (SINGLE-GAME RECORD IS 11). She has eight games with at least five assists, including six of the last 11 games. She averages 4.4 assists per game, eighth among freshmen in the NCAA and tied for fourth overall in The American. Bradley is scoring 10.2 points per game, shooting 36.8 percent from the field, and averages 5.1 rebounds, fourth on the team. With 87 assists, she needs eight 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. 

SMU FRESHMAN RECORDS

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.    Five other players        7

SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS
    1.    Tomi Hollis    1982-83    95
    2.    Karen Blair    1995-96    93
    3.    Katy Cobb    2004-05    88
    4.    Reagan Bradley    2019-20    87
    5.    Kendall Shead    2002-03    86
    6.    Brittany Gilliam    2006-07    73

KAYLA WHITE
Kayla White leads the team with 10.6 points, and has scored at least 10 points eight times. She scored a season-high 22 points against North Dakota, one game after dropping 21 against Wright State. In the last seven games, White is averaging 11.6 points in conference games. 

PAIGE BAYLISS
Paige Bayliss has three games with at least 10 rebounds, including two of the last five. Since the start of conference play, she is averaging 7.3 rebounds and 7.1 points. 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 6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds, with a team-high 51.9 shooting percentage, third in The American. 

AMBER BACON
Amber Bacon is fourth on the team with 8.1 points per game this season. She reached double digits 10 times, including a season-high 16 points against CSUN, and scored a team-high 12 against UConn. She is third on the team with 32 steals, and is hitting a team-best 71.9 percent from the free-throw line, 12th in the league. Bacon is second on the team with 63 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 5.1 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 34.2 percent, and she leads the team outside the arc, going 15-for-43 (34.9 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 5.7 points with a 39.7 shooting percentage. With 12 points against UCF, Whitfield has reached double digits in two of the last three games. 

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.