SMU survives ragged mid-game stretch to beat Virginia in ACC opener

Kario Oquendo scored 21 points and SMU shrugged off a ragged mid-game stretch to defeat visiting Virginia 63-51 on Saturday afternoon in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Dallas, Texas.

The Mustangs (8-2, 1-0 ACC) trailed through the first 13 minutes of the second half before tying the game at 47 on a 3-pointer by Oquendo with 6:06 to play. A driving layup by Boopie Miller with 2:33 left gave SMU a 56-51 advantage, and free throws by Chuck Harris and Miller in the final 1:03 clinched the victory.

Samet Yigitoglu added 16 points and Matt Cross took 10 rebounds for SMU, which scored the game's final nine points.

Isaac McKneely led Virginia (5-4, 0-1 ACC) with 17 points. The Cavaliers missed their final nine shots and went scoreless in the final 2:44 of the game.

The game went back and forth over the first 11 minutes and was tied at 17 after a layup by Yigitoglu at the 8:47 mark of the first half. That basket marked the first points of an 8-0 run that granted the Mustangs a 23-17 lead with 7:06 to play in the half.

SMU pushed its lead to 30-22 on a dunk by Yigitoglu with 4:25 remaining before the Cavaliers responded, closing the half on a 6-0 run capped by Ishan Sharma's 3-pointer with 48 seconds left. The Mustangs led 30-28 at the break despite missing six of their final seven shots and committing three turnovers in that final stretch.

Yigitoglu led all scorers with 14 points before halftime while hitting six of his seven shots from the floor. No Cavaliers player was in double figures in the first half.

After both teams continued their ragged play over the first two and half minutes of the second half, Virginia took a 31-30 lead on McKneely's 3-pointer with 17:26 to play. A pair of free throws by Oquendo at the 15:56 mark ended an SMU scoring drought of almost eight and a half minutes bridging the two halves.

Virginia took its largest lead of the game at 45-38 when McKneely canned a 3-pointer with 10:19 to play. The Mustangs answered with a 3-pointer from Cross and a driving layout by Miller to claw to within 45-42 with 9:05 remaining.

--Field Level Media