• last year
After going on a two-game road losing streak, SMU was back at home and defeated conference opponent Tulane 80-76.

The biggest difference tonight was physicality. SMU out-rebounded Tulane 52-33, which led to many scoring opportunities for the Mustangs. Offensive production has been a challenge for SMU over the past couple of games, with typically only one player consistently putting up points, but tonight the scoring was more spread out, which worked in their favor.

Center Tyreek Smith typically comes off the bench but got the start and led in scoring with 16 points. He also registered seven rebounds and two assists.

In the post-game press conference, Smith spoke about his performance tonight by saying that he felt that this moment was made for him. He thinks that he had a good warm-up, which set the tone for his offensive production for this game.

Butler transfer Chuck Harris has been the standout over the past couple games and has continued to put up points, scoring 12 points with 2 rebounds, and Zheuric Phelps also registered 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

SMU is looking to keep this momentum going as they are set to take on UAB this Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.

Transcript
00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 After going on a two game on the road losing streak,
00:07 SMU was back at home tonight
00:09 as they defeated in-conference opponent Tulane 80 to 76.
00:13 Now going into this game,
00:14 SMU knew that they needed to be physical,
00:16 especially in the paint,
00:18 if they were gonna gain momentum
00:19 and come away with a win.
00:20 Now Tulane on the other hand,
00:21 has been out-rebounded in almost every single game
00:24 this season, and tonight was no different.
00:26 Leading the way offensively was Tyreek Smith,
00:29 who typically comes off the bench,
00:30 but he got the start and he scored 16 points
00:32 with seven rebounds and two assists.
00:35 Smith said post-game that earlier in this season,
00:37 the defense was extremely strong and fundamentally sound.
00:40 Then as the seasons progressed,
00:41 they've kind of tailored off.
00:43 But tonight he felt like they made a better stride
00:45 defensively in hopes to continue the success moving forward.
00:48 - We felt like this was a must-win game
00:50 and we had to win it by any means,
00:52 so getting on that stretch was real big for us.
00:55 - Well SMU will be back in action this Sunday
00:57 when they take on UAB at 5 p.m.
01:00 For all things SMU basketball,
01:02 tune into Spectrum Cable Channel 15
01:04 every Wednesday and Thursday night at 11.
01:06 In Moody Coliseum, reporting for 2210 Sports,
01:09 I'm Morgan Alexander and you've got to spend credentials.
01:11 (upbeat music)
01:14 (upbeat music)

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