SMU (7-7, 0-2 ACC) at No. 13/13 Louisville (12-3, 2-0 ACC)
KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, Ky.  
Thursday, January  1, 2025 – 1 p.m. CT
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DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's basketball team continues its 50^th season in program history by beginning 2026 on the road, facing No. 13/13 Louisville on Sunday, January 1, inside the KFC Yum! Center. The game will tip off at 1 pm CT and air on ACCNX, concluding a two-game road trip for the Mustangs.

SMU finished its non-conference slate with a record of 7-5, winning its final six non-conference games. The Mustangs have won six of their last eight games but are still searching for their first ACC win this season after falling to Virginia last time out.

Paulina Paris turned in back-to-back 18-point performances in SMU's wins at Sam Houston and versus Southern to close out non-conference play.

SMU enters the game with five players averaging double-digit points per game: Tyi Skinner (13.6), Zahra King (12.8), Sahnya Jah (11.1), Paulina Paris (10.2) and Kyla Deck (10.1)
King leads SMU in points scored with 179 total points and recorded eight games scoring in double figures, including scoring a team high 17 points at Virginia.  

King has been incredibly efficient, shooting 52.2% from the field. Her field goal percentage ranks sixth in the ACC.  

After missing a couple of games to begin the season, Tyi Skinner looks to be in midseason form as she is averaging over 15 points per game in her last five games, which includes a 27-point performance against Winthrop.

Against Arkansas, Skinner scored 17 points and tallied a career high 10 assists and did not record a turnover.  The most assists by a Mustang since Jasmine Smith set the program record for assists in a game with 12 versus North Texas (12/7/22).

On offense, SMU ranks seventh in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (13.7) and sixth in the ACC / 62^nd in the NCAA in bench points per game (25.9). SMU has had six games with 30+ points off the bench, including a season-high of 38 against Arkansas. SMU has also had eight games with over 30 points in the paint this season, with the most recent occurrence against Southern (30).

SMU's defense has been causing havoc for other teams this season as the Mustangs rank third in the ACC / 47^th in the NCAA in steals per game at 11.1. SMU also ranks sixth in the ACC / 51^st in the NCAA in blocks per game (4.6) and fifth in the ACC in turnovers forced per game (18.6).

Kyla Deck has been a force on defense, ranking second in the ACC in total steals with 49 (7th in the NCAA) and second in the ACC in steals per game with 3.7 (8^th in the NCAA). Deck is coming off her tying her career high with seven steals against Southern. She has had three games this season with six or more steals.

SMU is third in the ACC in total steals with 156 and has recorded double-digit steals in all but four games this season. The Mustangs' nine games with double-digit steals are the most since the 2022-23 season (11), and the team's 84 steals in the first seven games were the most since the team had 89 during the 2012-13 season.

SMU is 7-7 under head coach  Adia Barnes. Barnes, a former WBCA Coach of the Year Finalist and Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalist, was named Head Women's Basketball Coach at SMU on April 5.

As SMU enters year two in the ACC, it will do so with an entirely new roster and coaching staff, signing 15 new players ahead of the 2025-26 season. Of the 15, eight players transferred in from a Power 4 institution. The Mustangs will also be one of the more experienced teams in the nation, having added eight seniors/graduate students to the roster this season.

// THE MATCH UP

• SMU enters the game 0-2 in ACC play while Louisville is 2-0 in conference play. Louisville is 8-2 at home this season, while SMU is 1-3 on the road.
• Monday's game will be the third overall time SMU and UVA have faced each other. The Mustangs fell 63-51 last season in Moody Coliseum.
• A win over No. 13 Louisville would be SMU's first win over a ranked opponent since the team defeated No. 19 (Coaches Poll) Texas A&M 54-53 in 2016. The last time SMU beat an AP Top 25 Team was a 73-57 win vs No. 18 UTEP in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
• If SMU were to win, it would be the Mustangs' highest-ranked win in program history.
• Thursday's game will be the fifth overall time SMU and Louisville have faced each other. The Mustangs fell 80-75 last season in Moody Coliseum.
• It will be the first time that the game will be played in Louisville since 2013, when both teams were members of the American Athletic Conference. Louisville has won the past three meetings between the two teams.

// (ACC)OMPLISH GREATNESS

• ACC teams have combined to register 144 nonconference victories this season.
• The ACC has played 30 nonconference games against AP Top 25 opponents this season (and 31 against USA TODAY Coaches Poll teams), the most among peer power conferences. Per STATS Perform, it is the most such matchups for any conference through Christmas Day in the past 25 years.
• The ACC is one of only two conferences with over 100 double-doubles this season, averaging 5.7 double-doubles per team.
• Three teams are currently ranked in the AP Poll: Louisville (No. 13), North Carolina (No. 16) and Notre Dame (No. 18). NC State and Stanford are receiving votes.
• Three ACC teams appear in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll: Louisville (No. 13), North Carolina (No. 15) and Notre Dame (No. 18). Duke, Clemson and Stanford are currently receiving votes.
• The ACC currently has 10 teams in the top 50 of the NET: Louisville (No. 12), North Carolina (No. 17), Notre Dame (No. 18), Duke (No. 25), NC State (No. 30), Virginia (No. 35), Stanford (No. 36), Miami (No. 41), Clemson (No. 42) and Syracuse (No. 44). Virginia Tech is just outside the top 50 at No. 51.

// DYNAMIC TRIO

• Zahra King, Tyi Skinner and Sahnya Jah have been on a tear recently, as each of the trio is averaging over 10 points per game.
• King has scored in double figures in eight games this season, including scoring a career high 23 points against Southern Miss. King is sixth in the ACC in field goal percentage (52.2%)
• Skinner recorded her second career double-double as she had 17 points and 10 assists against Arkansas. Her 10 assists are tied for the ninth most in a single game in program history, and she became the fourth Mustang in school history to record a double-double by way of points and assists.
• Skinner scored 27 points against Winthrop and is averaging 18 points over her last three games. It was her 34th career 20-point game as she made five 3-pointers in the game.
• Skinner is also 18-of-19 from the line over her last five games and is making 82% of her foul shots this season.
• Sahnya Jah scored 22 points in back-to-back games against Syracuse and Arkansas and had a team-high 16 points in the win over Coppin State.
• Jah has scored over 16 points in three of her last six games and is also averaging 5.6 rebounds per game this season.

// KYLA 1K DECK

• Kyla Deck scored her 1,000^th career point on the road at Sam Houston State.
• Deck scored her 1,000th career point at the end of the third quarter and finished the game with 14 points. Deck made two three-pointers, including a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter, to help seal the win for SMU.

// LETTING IT FLY

• SMU has been incredibly effective from beyond the arch of late. The Mustangs have shot over 40% from three-point range in three of the last five games, including a season high of 47.4% (9-19) against Southern.  SMU has shot over 40% from three in six games this season.
• SMU knocked down a season high 11 three pointers against Texas Tech. The team was 11-33 from behind the arc. The 33 attempts are tied for second-most in program history.
• The Mustangs have made 84 three-pointers this season, while Kyla Deck leads the team with 19 made. Zahra King is shooting 46.9% from beyond the arc this season.

// OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION

• The Mustangs have made it a point to get offensive rebounds this season, as the team ranks sixth in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game.
• Zahra King has been incredibly efficient, scoring over 12 points per game and shooting 52.2% from the field this season. She leads all ACC guards in field goal percentage and is sixth in the conference overall.
• As a team, SMU is shooting 39.8% from the field and has shot over 40% in six of its last eight games.
• SMU has had four games with four or more players reaching double figures.
• The Mustangs had five players reach double figures in their win over Grambling State, a feat achieved only twice last season. SMU defeated GSU 96-70, the most points scored in a game since SMU scored 96 against Alabama State in 2023.

// DOMINATE DEFENSE

• SMU has forced 260 turnovers this season and has forced 20 or more in seven games this season, including 21 against Southern.
• SMU tied its season high, forcing 24 turnovers in the win over Coppin State.  SMU's six games with 20 or more turnovers are now the most in a single season since the 2019-20 season (12).
• Deck ranks second in the ACC in total steals with 49 (7^th in the NCAA) and second in the ACC in steals per game at 3.8 (8^th in the NCAA). Deck has recorded 215 steals in her career.  Deck has totaled five games with five or more steals this season, including two six-steal games and a seven-steal game against Southern.
• The Mustangs also forced 24 turnovers and recorded a season high 16 steals against GCU. Four mustangs finished with three steals in the game.
• Deck recorded six steals against Grambling State, which was tied for the most by any ACC player in their team's season-opening game.

 // IT'S A BLOCK PARTY

• SMU has totaled 64 blocks this season, the sixth most in the ACC. The team's 4.6 blocks per game ranks sixth in the conference.
• SMU recorded a season high of eight blocks against Arkansas. Anaya Brown leads the team in total blocks with 18.
• Brown has three games this season with three blocks and has totaled 19 career games with three or more. She has now totaled 150 blocks in her career. Her 18 blocks this season rank 8^th in the ACC, and her 1.3 blocks per game rank eighth in the conference.

// GETTING TO THE LINE

• The Mustangs have made getting to the line a point of emphasis recently, making over 15 and taking over 20 in four of their past five games.  
• The team was 23-of-28 (82%) from the line against Southern Miss. Tyi Skinner (7-8), Zahra King (4-5) and Kyla Deck (4-4) led the way at the stripe.
• Skinner leads SMU, shooting 82% from the line and has made 18 of her last 19 attempts.
• SMU got to the line a lot against Grambling and was 28-37 from the stripe in the game. The Mustangs' 28 made free throws are the most since the team made 40 at Memphis during the 2023-24 season.

// POINTS IN THE PAINT

• The Mustangs have been attacking the paint this season. The team scored a season-high 50 points in the paint against Arkansas. It was the first time the Mustangs had scored 50 points in the paint in a game since the team scored 52 against Air Force in 2023.
• SMU has had eight games scoring 30 or more points this season, as the team recorded 30 points in the paint against Southern.