SMU (1-0) vs Alabama State (0-2)
Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
Saturday, November 11, 2023 – 2:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
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OPENING TIP
SMU faces Alabama State on Saturday. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.
The action can be seen on ESPN+, with live stats accessible at SMUMustangs.com.
Saturday's matchup marks the second meeting between the two programs.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Alabama State enters Saturday's contest with an 0-2 record. The Hornets lost their first matchup of the season, a 93-39 setback against Alabama on Monday. Most recently, Alabama State fell to Memphis 95-51 on Thursday.
The Hornets picked up a 76-41 victory over Shorter in an exhibition contest on Nov. 2. 
Alabama State finished its 2022-23 campaign with a 16-15 overall record, including a 12-6 mark in league play. 
The Hornets were picked to finish fifth in the 2023-24 SWAC Preseason Poll. 

LAST TIME OUT 
SMU 78, UC Riverside 55 I Monday, Nov. 6
DALLAS (SMU)- Four Mustangs scored in double figures as the SMU women's basketball team defeated UC Riverside 78-55 in its season opener on Monday afternoon in Moody Coliseum.  

Tiara Young's 20 points, three rebounds and five assists led SMU (1-0). Chantae Embry posted a double-double, totaling 16 points and 12 rebounds. Embry added five assists and two steals. Reagan Bradley scored 12 points and added two rebounds and two assists. Bradley moved to seventh on SMU's all-time career assists list (320). Ella Brow finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and an assist. 

Tamia Jones turned in seven points, five rebounds, and four assists. TK Pitts added six points, a rebound, and a steal. Amirah Abdur-Rahim scored four points and grabbed three rebounds.

The Mustangs shot 51.8% from the field, while holding the Highlanders to 32.8% on the night.

LAST MEETING
SMU 76, Alabama State 39 I Monday, Nov. 7, 2022
DALLAS (SMU) – SMU cruised to a 76-39 win over Alabama State on opening night at Moody Coliseum. Savannah Wilkinson posted a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Chantae Embry led all scorers, with 16 points in her SMU debut.

STARTING STRONG 
SMU won its third consecutive season opener. The Mustangs outshot UC Riverside 51.8%-32.8% and grabbed one more rebound than the Highlanders.
SMU outscored UC Riverside 34-24 in the paint and held the 19-6 edge in bench points. SMU scored 17 fastbreak points to UC Riverside's seven, and recorded seven more assists than the Highlanders (20-13). 

WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP TIARA
Former AAC Sixth Player of the Year Tiara Young had a strong debut for the Mustangs. Young posted 20 points, three rebounds and five assists to lead SMU. 

CHANTAE PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Chantae Embry started her 2023-24 campaign with a double-double, totaling 16 points and 12 rebounds. Embry added five assists and two steals.
Chantae Embry owned four of the Mustangs' seven 20-point games last season (20 at OU, 20 at Oral Roberts, 20 vs. ECU, 21 vs. Houston) 
Embry started 28 games and averaged 11.6 points (20th AAC), 6.2 rebounds (11th AAC) per game, while shooting 48.3% from the field and 75.5% at the free throw line. 
She recorded five double-doubles on the year.

BRADLEY LEAVING HER MARK
Guard Reagan Bradley returns for her fifth season on the Hilltop. Bradley moved to seventh on SMU's All-Time Assists list with 320 after recording two against UC Riverside. She added 12 points and added two rebounds and two assists. 
Bradley started 26 games last season, averaging 8.7 points, 3.1 assists (8th AAC), and three rebounds while playing 30.2 minutes per game.
Bradley has started 85 and played in 91 games at SMU entering the 2023-24 season. 
SMU Career Assists
489 Suzanne McAnally 1989-92
481 Kendall Shead 2003-06
462 Karen Blair 1995-99
435 Brittany Gilliam 2006-10
368 Missy Parker 1990-93
327 Tomi Hollis 1983-86
320 Reagan Bradley 2019-24
319 Alisha Filmore 2009-13 

RECAPPING THE 2022-23 SEASON
SMU finished the 2022-23 season with a 17-13 record.  
SMU went 13-2 in Moody Coliseum, including a program-record 10-game home winning streak. Savannah Wilkinson, Jasmine Smith and Ella Brow each earned All-American Athletic Conference honors. 
The Mustangs made the WNIT for the second straight season, earning a postseason bid in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015. 
The Mustangs ranked second in scoring defense in the AAC, holding opponents to only 58.3 points per game. 
Three different Mustangs finished in the top 10 in the league in four separate individual categories.

BACK-TO-BACK POSTSEASON APPEARANCES  
SMU made the WNIT for the second consecutive season under Head Coach Toyelle Wilson. 
The Mustangs made the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2014 and 2015. The 2022-23 season marked the third postseason appearance in seven seasons. 
SMU defeated Little Rock 68-42 in the first round of the WNIT in Moody Coliseum.

MOODY MAGIC
SMU finished 13-2 in Moody Coliseum, including a 10-0 start at home- breaking the program's best start to open a season (2004-05) and best home winning streak (1999-00, final nine games). 

HOME COOKING
The Mustangs outscored their opponents 67.1-52.4 at Moody Coliseum, shooting 44.1% to opponents' 34.2% last season.  
In rebounding action, SMU owned the 40.9-32.2 advantage.
The Mustangs averaged 4.7 more assists than their opponents at Moody Coliseum.
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE
SMU allowed 58.3 ppg, ranking second in the AAC and 41st in the nation. 
The Mustangs owned a 15-4 record when holding opponents below 60 points.
Oklahoma (97-74), Wichita State (73-65) and Temple (68-62) were the only teams to surpass its scoring average against SMU in regulation. ECU scored 66 in the Mustangs' overtime win, surpassing last season's average of 62.4 and Memphis scored 69 points in overtime, surpassing its average of 68.1. 
SMU's three losses when holding a team below 40% occurred at Baylor, Tulane and against Houston in the AAC Quarterfinal.
    
RETURNERS AAC AWARDS 
Ella Brow was named the AAC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 16  after wins against Cincinnati and ECU.
Chantae Embry was a five-time AAC Weekly Honor Roll selection last season (2/13, 1/24, 1/16, 1/2, 11/14).
Jessica Peterson earned a spot on the final 2022-23 Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in her career on March 2. 

INSIDE LAST SEASON'S NUMBERS
The Mustangs were 15-5 when outrebounding their opponents last season.
SMU finished the year outscoring its foes in the paint in 22 of the last 30 games, winning 17.
SMU was 14-1 when recording more assists than its opponent.
SMU scored more bench points than its opponents 12 times last season. 
 
SHOOTING STARS
SMU owned a 14-3 mark when outshooting its opponents last season.
The Mustangs were 12-4 when hitting at least 40% from the field.
SMU was 16-2 when holding opponents at 39.9% or less. 

ELLA READY TO MAKE THE JUMP
Brow was named to the AAC All-Freshman team after an impressive rookie season. 
Brow finished last season ranked 14th in assists per game in the AAC, averaging 2.72 per game.
Brow played in 25 games last season, making 10 starts. She averaged 4.6 points, 2.72 assists, and 22.4 minutes. 
Brow finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and an assist against UC Riverside. 

NO PRESSURE, NO DIAMONDS
The Mustangs 11-game non-conference gauntlet features eight games in Moody Coliseum. 
SMU will navigate a tough non-conference schedule, featuring games against No. 19 Baylor, and 20th-ranked Colorado along with a matchup with Toledo who is receiving votes after a run to the quarterfinals of the WNIT last season.

WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP
SMU welcomes two freshman and two transfers to the Hilltop for the 2023-24 season. 
Tiara Young I G I GR I Shreveport, La./Houston
2022-23 (Senior at Houston): Appeared in 30 games, starting one game on Senior Night against Wichita State (Mar. 1)... Finished 17 games with 10 or more points and led the Cougars in scoring in 10 games…Led the team in free throws made (85), while finishing second in points (361), field goals made (136), and assists (51)... Recorded several career-highs in her senior season including a 26-point performance in the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal against Wichita State (Mar. 8)... Unanimously American Athletic Conference Sixth Player of the Year… Dave Campbell's Texas Basketball Sixth Woman of the Yea

Maya Chandler I G I SR I Martinsville, Ind./Loyola Chicago
2022-23 (Junior at Loyola Chicago): Started 23 games and appeared in 30… Led the Ramblers in scoring with 10.7 points per game… Averaged three rebounds per game… Totaled 34 assists and 31 steals… Shot 82.6% from the charity stripe.

Aaliyah Henderson I G I FR I Norman, Okla. 
High School: Henderson, a three-year letterwinner for Norman High School ranks in the top-five in Oklahoma for the class of 2022 at the point-guard position. She earned two All-Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Selections, including first team in 2022. Her team won the 2021 Oklahoma 6A State Title after qualifying for the state tournament the previous year, before it was canceled due to COVID-19. Her other accolades include Joe Lawson All Tournament First Team, Bruce Gray Invitational All Tournament MVP, 56th Annual Tournament of Champions All-Tournament First Team, Big All City Second Team, The Oklahoman Super 5 Honorable Mention, a two-time All-Oklahoma Honorable mention. In the classroom, Henderson entered her senior campaign for accuracy.

Shanel Reid I G I FR I Austin Texas
High School: A three-year letterwinner for Austin High School earned All-Texas First Team Honors twice, an All-Texas Academic First Team Accolade, All-Region First Team in 2021-22, All-District First Team Selection and 2019-20 district newcomer of the year and offensive MVP.

PRESEASON PROWESS
SMU was predicted to finish fourth in the AAC standings in 2023-24 Preseason Poll behind league front-runners USF, ECU, and Rice. 

PONY UP DALLAS 
In just seven days, SMU has raised $100 million to support the Mustangs' transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference. 
The generous early commitments from a group of thirty donors that includes trustees and key donors – alumni and non-alumni alike – will enable SMU to align and compete with an elite group of national institutions with powerhouse athletic programs, benefiting both SMU Athletics and the entire University community. 
The move to the new conference is also creating additional impact. Mustang fans have responded enthusiastically to the planned move, with men's basketball season ticket sales jumping 30% in the last week and hundreds of new football season tickets being sold as well.
Notably, the move has immediately raised SMU's profile, with media coverage of the move generating more than $163 million in advertising value in the first three days. In that same small window, SMU also experienced a 103% increase in visitors to its undergraduate admissions homepage.