The SMU basketball team has won five-straight games and there has been a common theme in three of them, a strong second half.
In the Acrisure Holiday Invitational opener against Cal Baptist, SMU nearly let a 13-point halftime lead get away from them. Since, they have outscored their last four opponents by 66 points in the second half.
That included a 21-point turnaround against Washington State after trailing by four at halftime to win the Acrisure title. SMU then outscored Virginia by 10 after trailing by two at halftime in its ACC opener. The latest was a 16-point difference as the Mustangs turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 10-point win against LSU in Frisco on Saturday.
"Defensively, played much better in the second half. On offense, we shared a basketball," SMU head coach Andy Enfield said. "I thought our offense in the first half, the ball was sticking too much. We had open guys, just weren't getting the ball to the right player at the right time. … The second half, we shared the ball and ended the game with 20 assists. So very proud of our players for learning something in that first half and coming out in the second half and playing team basketball."
Sometimes halftime is about making adjustments, other times it's about reiterating the game plan. And every now and again, it's about getting after your team.
That's the approach Enfield took on Saturday.
"I don't raise my voice very often, but sometimes you have to get your team's attention," he said. "And so they came out and executed and played together on both ends of the floor. I thought our team played outstanding basketball for the full 20 minutes."
Part of SMU's success in the second half is due to having fresh players who can come off the bench and contribute. The Mustangs don't only rely on their starting five to score.
Seven players are averaging at least eight points per game, and two more have scored in double figures at least once this season.
"I think the Virginia game, we had over 30 points from our bench. (Saturday), we had 21 from our bench," Enfield said. "So there's not a lot of separation. I thought Keon Ambrose-Hylton came in the first half, gave us great minutes, played about eight minutes in the first half. And then Jerrell Colbert in the second half was terrific. He played almost seven minutes and he changed the game defensively, on the ball screens, his activity."
SMU had four players reach double figures offensively against LSU. All of them scored more in the second half than they did in the first half.
Matt Cross scored 13 of his team-high 16 in the second half. For B.J. Edwards it was 9 of 12, eight of 11 for Chuck Harris and Samet Yiğitoğlu had seven of his 12 in the second half.
But ultimately, it's been about defense for the Mustangs over this stretch and certainly in their two biggest wins.
"I thought to outscore (LSU) 47-31 in the second half, they ended the game with 17 turnovers," Enfield said. "In the Virginia game, Virginia didn't score a field goal for over 10 minutes to end the game. (Saturday), the same thing. Our defense won this game for us in the second half."
There is still plenty of work to do and certainly more big games to come. But the Mustangs are taking it step-by-step and one game at a time. That continues when they play a road ACC game for the first time, Saturday at Boston College.
"We're still developing as a team, but we've improved a lot in the last three to four weeks," Enfield said. "I think you see that in a record, winning five in a row. But just the way we're playing defensively, I think our guys have bought into each other, to our system. And offensively, as long as we share the ball, we can keep getting better."
