SMU has balanced attack in win over Tarleton State

Field Level Media|published: Mon 4th November, 23:07 2024

Oct 9, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; SMU head coach Andy Enfield during ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Boopie Miller poured in 21 points to lead six Mustangs in double-figure scoring as SMU rolled to a 96-62 win over visiting Tarleton State on Monday in Dallas in the season opener for both teams.

The Mustangs (1-0) took charge of the game midway through the first half when they produced a 32-3 run that turned a five-point deficit into a 24-point lead. SMU was up by 23 at the break and never let Tarleton State closer than 21 points after halftime.

Chuck Harris and Kario Oquendo added 16 points apiece for SMU, with B.J. Edwards hitting for 13, Keon Ambrose-Hylton scoring 12 and Yohan Traore contributing 10.

In Andy Enfield's first game as the program's head coach, SMU shot 54 percent (34-for-63) compared to Tarleton State's 36.7 percent (18-for-49).

Bubu Benjamin led the Texans (0-1) with 21 points while Matt Krass had 10. Tarleton State committed 23 turnovers.

Tarleton State jumped to the front, scoring the first five points of the game before the Mustangs found their footing. SMU countered with a 10-0 run capped by a driving layup by Miller almost four minutes into the contest, and the Mustangs were off to the races. After Benjamin hit a 3-pointer, SMU scored 22 straight points to expand its advantage to 32-8 with 10:50 to play in the first half.

Miller's pullup 3-pointer at the 6:24 mark of the half stoked SMU's lead to 30 points. The Texans won the final two minutes as a pair of free throws by Bubu Benjamin and a layup by Izzy Miles, the latter with 58 seconds before halftime, allowed Tarleton State to close to 51-28 at the break.

Harris led all scorers with a dozen points before intermission while Miller added 10 for the Mustangs. SMU outshot the Texans 58.6 percent to 27.3 percent in the half and forced 11 turnovers that led to 17 points for the Mustangs.

Benjamin paced Tarleton State with 12 points, hitting 9 of his 10 free throws in the half.

The Texans pared their deficit to 21 points when Krass canned a second-chance 3-pointer with 16:43 to play. They were down 67-44 after a Miles layup with 10:06 left before SMU put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run, capped by a layup by AJ George with 7:52 remaining.

--Field Level Media

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