SMU (11-11; 5-6 AAC) at North Texas (17-5; 7-3 AAC)
The Super Pit I Denton, Texas
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024– 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ I Live Stats
Radio: KAAM 770 AM | Audio Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
SMU Notes | North Texas | American
SMU Basketball Yearbook | SMU Digital Game Program
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

OPENING TIP
The Mustangs visit North Texas on Saturday afternoon.
Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. in The Super Pit. 
Saturday's action can be seen on ESPN+, with live stats accessible at SMUMustangs.com/stats.

LAST TIME OUT 
SMU 81, Memphis 73 I Feb. 3, 2024
DALLAS (SMU)- Behind Chantae Embry's career-high 26 points, the SMU women's basketball team defeated Memphis 81-73 on Saturday afternoon in Moody Coliseum.
SMU shot 62.5% (30-48) from the field, tying the second-best shooting performance in program history and the best in Moody Coliseum. 

Embry's 26 led SMU's (11-11; 5-6 American Athletic Conference) four double-digit scorers. Embry added three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal. Tiara Young finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Reagan Bradley scored 14 points and passed out eight assists, and Amirah Abdur-Rahim logged 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. 

TK Pitts scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds, and added two assists and two blocks, and Maya Chandler turned in seven points, four assists, and three steals. Jiya Perry chipped in two points and two rebounds. 

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT
North Texas
North Texas is 17-5 overall and 7-3 in the American. UNT's seven game win streak was snapped after back-to-back losses at UTSA and Tulsa. 

UP TO THIS POINT
SMU is 11-11 overall and 5-6 in the American. 
SMU's 1.01 assist/turnover ratio ranks atop the American. The Mustangs' 15.2 assists per game and 43.8% shooting from the field rank second. 
SMU's 70.7 points per game, including a 32.9% clip from beyond the arc and 14.5 free throws per game on 21 attempts, rank third in the league. SMU averages 8.8 steals per game (5th AAC).
SMU's riding a three-game win streak in Moody Coliseum are 9-5 overall at home. The Mustangs have won three out of their last four and tied for the second-highest shooting percentage (62.5%) in program history and the best in Moody Coliseum last time out versus Memphis.
SMU closed out its non-conference slate with a 6-5 record and entered league play riding a three-game winning streak. 
The Mustangs started the season 3-1 for the first time since the 2013-14 season and won their third consecutive season opener with a 78-75 victory over UC Riverside. 
SMU picked up a dominating 96-47 victory over Alabama State. SMU's 96 points were the most scored during the Toyelle Wilson era.
american award winners
Nov. 20- Tiara Young- Offensive Player of the Week
Dec. 18- Tiara Young- Weekly Honor Roll
Dec. 26- Amirah Abdur-Rahim- Weekly Honor Roll
Jan. 15- Tiara Young- Player of the Week 
Jan. 29- Chantae Embry- Weekly Honor Roll
Feb. 5- Chantae Embry- Weekly Honor Roll 

AMERICAN'S BEST
SMU junior forward Chantae Embry was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the second consecutive week on Feb. 5.
Embry logged her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards at Rice. SMU finished the week defeating Memphis behind Embry's career-high 26 points, including three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.

A WALKING BUCKET
Former AAC Sixth Player of the Year Tiara Young is putting together an impressive season. 
Young averages 18 points per game, which ranks fifth in the American and 55th nationally. She has scored 397 points (5th AAC, 46th nationally), on 46.4% shooting (6th AAC). Young has attempted the sixth most free throws in the nation (150), and scored 107 points from behind the charity stripe, ranking second in the league and top-15 in the country.
Young has scored double-digit points in 20 out of the Mustangs' 22 games, including six 20+ point performances, three of which she eclipsed 30 points. 
Young was named the AAC Player of the Week for the second time this season after finishing with her first double-double of the season, including career-highs in points (38) and rebounds (15) in SMU's first conference road win at Memphis. Young is the only player in the NCAA to post 38 and 15 this season. She tied the third highest-scoring performance in SMU history and attempted the most free throws ever by a Mustang (22). Three days later, Young totaled 32 points, and added six rebounds at UAB. 
Young was crowned the AAC Player of the Week on Nov. 20 after posting 24 points and earning her 1000th career point against Nicholls to start the week. She added a career-high 30 points against then-No. 5 Colorado. 
Young was named to the All-Tournament Team at the San Diego Classic after leading the Mustangs with 18 points against Toledo and 17 in the tournament finale against Harvard.
Young was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 18 after turning in 29 points over two games.

BRADLEY LEAVING HER MARK
Guard Reagan Bradley returned for her fifth season on the Hilltop. Bradley moved to fifth on SMU's all-time assist list on Jan. 7 after tallying four assists against Rice. 
Bradley moved to sixth on the list after tying her career high with nine against Alabama State. Bradley opened the season by moving to seventh on the list after passing out two against UC Riverside.
Bradley averages 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists (7th AAC), and 1.5 steals per game. Bradley has passed out 85 assists this season, ranking fifth in the league.
She has turned in double-digit scoring performances in 13 games this season, including 12+ in eight out of the last 10 games. 
Bradley has started 107 and played in 112 games at SMU.
SMU Career Assists
489 Suzanne McAnally 1989-92
481 Kendall Shead 2003-06
462 Karen Blair 1995-99
435 Brittany Gilliam 2006-10
403 Reagan Bradley 2019-24

CAREER YEAR FOR ABDUR-RAHIM
Amirah Abdur-Rahim is putting together an impressive season.
The senior forward averages 10.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game (1st AAC, 40th nationally). Abdur-Rahim has blocked 41 shots this season, which also ranks atop the American and 34th nationally. 
Abdur-Rahim has posted double-digit points 14 times this season. 
Abdur-Rahim tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 boards in SMU's dominating victory over UTSA. She blocked a career-high five shots. 
Abdur-Rahim scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and passed out a career-high four assists against ECU. 
Abdur-Rahim started league play on fire, posting double-digit scoring performances in the Mustangs first three American games. 
Abdur-Rahim earned her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead SMU to a 57-52 victory over Florida Atlantic. 
She scored a career-high 24 points against Rice. The senior forward grabbed seven rebounds, blocked four shots, and passed out three assists. 
Abdur-Rahim was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll following back-to-back double-doubles to close out non-conference play. She scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds against Sam Houston to start the week. She turned in her second straight double-double with 19 points in SMU's dominating victory over Air Force. She added 11 rebounds, three blocks, and a steal.

EMBRY GETTING IT DONE
Embry has been on fire since returning to the lineup after missing time due to injury. 
Embry averages 12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
Embry enters Saturday's contest after back-to-back appearances on the American's Weekly Honor Roll. Embry logged her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards at Rice. SMU finished the week defeating Memphis behind Embry's career-high 26 points, including three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Embry averaged 21 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of wins over Temple and UTSA to earn the honor on Jan. 29. 
Embry scored 19 added nine rebounds a game prior at ECU.
Embry has scored double figures 11 times this season and has scored 18+ points in four out of the last five games. 
Embry started this season's campaign with a double-double, including 16 points and 12 rebounds against UC Riverside. 
Embry added 13 points, four rebounds, one steal and an assist against Alabama State and tallied 14 points using a career-high four three-point jump shots and grabbed eight rebounds against then-No. 5 Colorado. 
Embry turned in 17 points and grabbed her 300th career rebound against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

TK MAKIN' PLAYS
Sophomore guard TK Pitts has emerged as a key role player for the Mustangs. 
Pitts is averaging 5.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. 
Pitts put together one of her most complete performances of the year in SMU's win at Memphis. She finished with six points, tallied a career-high five steals, and grabbed 10 rebounds. 
Pitts closed out non-conference play with a career-high 13 points against Air Force. 
Pitts has grabbed five plus rebounds in 10 contests this season, including 10+ boards three times (vs. Nicholls, vs. Arkansas- Pine Bluff, at Memphis). 

FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Tamia Jones has done it all for the Mustangs so far this season.
Jones averages 9 points, 3.8 boards, 4.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.
Jones tied career highs in assists (8) against Nicholls, and points (17) against then-No. 13 Baylor.  
Jones has tallied double-digit points eight times and has turned in three plus steals in seven contests, including a career-high six against Alabama State. 
Jones has passed out at least five assists nine times.

HOME COOKING
SMU is riding a three-game win streak in Moody Coliseum and are 9-5 overall at home. 
The Mustangs outscore their opponents 71.3-64.4 in Moody Coliseum, shooting 45.4% to opponents' 38.8%.  
SMU outshoots its opponents 37.6%-27.5% from the three-point line at home. 
The Mustangs record 1.6 more assists, 1.6 more blocks, and 1.5 more steals than their foes in Moody Coliseum.
SMU shot 62.5% from the field against Memphis, marking the highest shooting percentage ever in Moody Coliseum. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
SMU has outscored its opponents 70.7-67.5 through 22 games this season. 
SMU outshoots its opponents .438-.395, including a 32.9% clip from behind the arc. 
SMU has outrebounded its opponent in nine games this season. 
SMU has recorded more assists than its opponent in 12 games this season. 
SMU has blocked more shots than its opponent in 12 games this season. 
SMU has outshot its opponent from the field in 15 games this season and made more three-point field goals eight times. 
SMU has scored more fast break points than its opponent in 11 games.
SMU has scored more points in the paint than its opponent in 14 games. 
SMU has tallied more bench points in six games and second chance in eight. 

SHOOTING STARS
SMU has outshot its opponents in 14 games this season.
SMU is shooting 43.8% from the field, which ranks second in the American.
SMU is shooting 32.9% from the three-point line, which ranks third in the league.
SMU shot 50.8% (31-51) from the field to finish out non-conference play against Air Force. 
SMU shot 62.5% (30-48) from the field, tying the second-best shooting performance in program history and the best ever in Moody Coliseum. 
SMU shot a season-high 63.6% (7/11) from behind the arc, and 56.3% from the field against Alabama State. 
SMU shot over 50% from the field in their first two games of the season. 

GETTING DEFENSIVE
SMU has held five opponents under 55 points this season. 
SMU closed its non-conference slate holding Air Force to 25% shooting, marking the lowest shooting percentage by an opponent this season.
SMU has held eight foes under 40% shooting.
SMU is 5-0 when holding opponents below 60 points, and 2-0 when foes score under 50 points.

TAKING IT AWAY
SMU recorded more steals than its opponent in 12 games this season.
SMU tied a Moody Coliseum record with 16 steals against Alabama State on Nov. 11. 
SMU has tallied eight plus steals in 13 out of the last 14 games and 16 times total. 
SMU has record 10 plus steals in eight games. 
SMU averages 8.8 steals per game (8th AAC). 

20-20 VISION
Tiara Young owns six of the Mustangs nine 20+-point games this season, including three games where she dropped 30+ points: (20 vs. UC Riverside, 24 vs. Nicholls, 30 vs. Colorado, 22 vs. Arkansas- Pine Bluff, 38 at Memphis, at UAB, 32).
Amirah Abdur-Rahim posted a career-high 24 points on Jan. 7 against Rice. 
Chantae Embry tallied 24 points on Jan. 24 against Temple and a career-high 26 versus Memphis on Feb. 3.  

DISHING IT OUT
SMU's 15.2 assists per game rank second in the American.
SMU has recorded 20+ assists three times this season (20 vs. UC Riverside, 24 vs. Alabama State, 21 vs. Memphis).
SMU has passed out 15+ assists in 13 games this season. 

GAME FOR THE AGES
Using Tiara Young's first double-double of the season, including a career-high 38 points and 15 rebounds, SMU defeated Memphis 91-86 in double overtime on Jan. 11.
SMU was down to only four players after Tamia Jones fouled out with 56 seconds remaining. 
Tiara Young finished with 38 points, tying the third highest-scoring performance in SMU history and attempted the most free throws ever by a Mustang (24). 
SMU made 40 free throws, marking the most points from the charity stripe in program history. SMU attempted 60 free throws, marking the most attempts in program history.
There were 75 combined fouls in Thursday's contest, marking the most combined fouls in NCAA history. The record broke 70 combined fouls from Oklahoma vs. Kentucky on Nov. 28, 2014. 
Thursday's contest also marked the most fouls in SMU history with the record previously being 33 at TCU on Jan. 25, 1997.
SMU scored 91 points, marking the second most points this season.
SMU grabbed a season-high 55 rebounds.

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, benefitting 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. 

YOUNG MAKES ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
SMU graduate guard Tiara Young was named to the All-Tournament Team at the San Diego Classic. Young led the Mustangs with 18 points against Toledo. The graduate guard grabbed four rebounds and passed out two assists. Young scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and passed out three assists in the finale of the San Diego Classic against Harvard. 

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 in March.
  
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.

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. 13 Baylor, and fifth-ranked Colorado along with a matchup with Toledo who made 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.
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 cancelled 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.