Following a tough loss at UCONN, the Mustangs looked to bounce back as the East Carolina Pirates came to town.
Currently sitting at (14-7) overall and (4-4) in conference play, this game sets up to be a must win opportunity for SMU against the (8-11) Pirates.
Moody Coliseum was definitely rocking for this Sunday afternoon matchup, which gave the Mustangs some life early on in the first half.
Ben Emelogu and Ethan Chargois hit a combined 5-8 from three point land to help extend the Mustangs lead. Emelogu led the way for SMU with 13 first half points, including a three at the buzzer to end the half up 44-33.
Coach Tim Jankovich must have had one heck of a halftime speech because the Mustangs came out of the locker room showing no mercy. Jimmy Whitt and Jahmal McMurray had the green light as every shot they took was falling through the net, each finishing with a team-high 20 points and shooting a combined 17-23.
“Since we lost a couple of guys, we have guys that need to make plays and I feel like I’m one of those guys,” Whitt explained after his career-high 20 point performance. “Just coming out every game with an aggressive mindset and tonight the ball happened to go through the hoop for me.”
With help from Chargois, the Pirates had no answer for the Mustangs offense, who shot an impressive 61.8% from the field. Chargois added 16 points and six rebounds.
“It’s pretty simple; when you shoot it good, basketball is really fun. When you shoot it really bad, basketball is a miserable existence,” Jankovich joked postgame after shooting 61.8% as a team tonight following their abysmal 28% shooting effort in loss to UCONN on Thursday.
Next up for the Mustangs will be a roadtrip to Oklahoma for a Thursday night showdown against Tulsa.
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