DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's basketball program fell 75-66 to Miami in a hard-fought loss on Sunday inside Moody Coliseum.

After dominating the first half, making eight three-pointers, SMU (8-13, 1-8 ACC) found itself in a closely contested game, leading by one with just under five to go. Miami (12-8, 4-5 ACC) took its first lead of the game after hitting a three-pointer with 4:21 left. The Hurricanes increased their lead to four after hitting two at the line with 2:52 to go.

Garce Hall tied the game with a three-pointer with 2:30 left. Miami answers with a bucket of their own. The Mustangs cut the lead to one after a free throw, but sent Miami to the line on the following possession. Miami missed its second foul shot, got the rebound, and scored, going up four with just over a minute left.

SMU missed and Miami capitalized with another basket, leading by six with 40 seconds left. Sahnya Jah earned a trip to the line with 27 seconds remaining cut the lead to five. Anaya Brown grabbed Jah's missed foul shot but it resulted in a jump ball in favor of Miami. SMU sent the Hurricanes to the line with 14.7 seconds left, and Miami pushed its lead to seven and iced the game.  

The Mustangs shot 43% from the field, made nine total three-pointers and went 11-13 from the line in the game. SMU also forced 18 turnovers and recorded 12 steals but it was not enough to hold on to the lead.

SMU's 12 steals marked the team's 14^th time reaching double-digit steals in a game this season, the most in a single season since the 2012-13 season (18).

After outscoring Miami 47-34 in the first half, the Hurricanes outscored SMU 41-19 in the second half. Miami shot 42% from the floor and made seven three-pointers. Miami also forced 24 turnovers and grabbed 40 rebounds which resulted in 23 second chance. 

The Mustangs had four players in double figures with Zahra King leading the way with 18 points. She shot 7-of-16 from the floor and had a career high eight assists and two steals. As a team, SMU had 17 assists, the third time this season the Mustangs have had at least 17 in a game.

Anaya Brown finished with 15 points, going 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and hauled in a team-high nine rebounds. Sahnya Jah also had 15 points in the game and went 6-of-7 from the line.
Grace Hall recorded her second game with four blocks this season and scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Jazzy Gipson recorded a career high five steals in the game.

SMU came out on fire and went on a 15-0 run to push its lead to 17-2 early. Hall, Thompson, and King all hit three-pointers during the run. SMU was 6-of-8 from the floor to start the game. Miami responded with a 7-0 run of its own before a pair of free throws from Jah. Miami went on another 8-0 run late, run in the quarter, and cut the lead to two. Brown hit another three and pushed the lead back to seven as SMU led 24-17 at the end of one. King had seven in the quarter, while brown and Hall each had five.

SMU began the second quarter on a 4-0 run with buckets from Jah and King. Led went back up to double digits after another Thompson three. Both teams kept trading baskets. A shot clock beating three from Jah put the Mustangs up 10 with 3:44 left in the period. And-1 layup from Jah closed the quarter for SMU as the Mustangs led by 13.

Jah, Brown, and King all had 12 points in the quarter. Brown and King each hit two from downtown, while Jah was 5-5 from the line. As a team, SMU went 8-14 from downtown in the first half and shot 51% from the floor altogether.

Miami came out of the break on fire and outscored SMU 15-4 over the first six minutes of the third. The Hurricanes took control of the game in the third, outscoring SMU 19-10, and erased the Mustangs halftime lead and trailed only by two heading into the fourth.

// UP NEXT
The Mustangs will head back out on the road, traveling to South Carolina to face Clemson on Thursday, January 29, at 6 p.m. CT on ACCNX.
// OTHER NOTES

• In her first season at SMU, head coach Adia Barnes is now 8-13 and 177-127 overall in her career (10^th season).

// STEALS / TURNOVERS

• SMU ended the game with 12 steals. 
  • 14th game this season with double-digit steals, which ties the most in a single season since the 2012-13 season.
  • SMU entered the game ranked 3^rd in the ACC / 41^st in the NCAA in steals per game (11.0)
  • SMU has now totaled 231 steals this season.
    • Entered the game 3^rd in the ACC in total steals.
• SMU forced 18 turnovers
  • SMU has now forced 378 turnovers this season
    • Entered the game 5^th in the ACC in turnovers forced per game (18.0) and in 6^th in total turnovers

// FIELD GOAL PERCENT

• SMU shot 42.6% from the field 
  • It was SMU's ninth game shooting over 40% this season
  • Zahra King was 7-16 from the floor in the game
    • King entered the game leading all ACC guards in field goal percent (48.4%) and 8^th in the ACC overall.
    • King also entered the game 10^th in the ACC in total field goals made (108), ninth in total points (292), and 13^th in points per game (14.6)

// FREE THROWS

• SMU was 11-13 from the line
  • Mustangs entered the game 6^th in the ACC in free throw attempts per game (18.4) and 8^th in the ACC in free throws made per game (12.5).

// BENCH POINTS

• SMU had 15 bench points
  • Entered the game 7^th in the ACC in bench points per game (21.8).

// BLOCKS

• SMU tied its season high with 8 blocks
  • Entered the game 6^th in the ACC / 42^nd  the NCAA in blocks per game (4.6)
• Grace Hall tied her season high with 4 blocks
• Anaya Brown had 2 blocks
  • Brown entered the game ranked 8^th in the ACC in total blocks (29) and 9^th in the ACC in blocks per game (1.32).

// STARTERS  
Starters: Jazzy Gipson (#6, F, Fr.), Zahra King (#2, G, So.), Ayanna Thompson (#1, G, Sr.), Anaya Brown (4, F, Sr.), Grace Hall (#7, F, R-Sr.)