Peaking Ponies?

SMU Tops Colorado, 70-67, As League Play Nears

DALLAS - After an uneven start, the Mustangs may be coming together at just the right time.

SMU (5-7) knocked off Colorado (7-6) on Monday for its second straight win and a dose of much needed momentum as Conference USA play approaches. (UTEP invades Dallas on Saturday.)

“I’m just glad that my guys got rewarded with the win because they’ve been working hard in practice,” said SMU coach Matt Doherty. “They’ve been paying attention.”

It was Bamba Fall’s free throw with four seconds left that provided the final margin of victory for the Mustangs in a game they led most of the way but nearly let slip away. Nate Tomlinson’s 3-point shot for Colorado at the buzzer just missed, securing SMU’s sixth all-time win over a Big 12 opponent.

Four Mustangs shot for double digits, including center Fall (13), guard Derek Williams (14), guard Paul McCoy (11) and forward Mouhammad Faye (10).

“I’m really proud of a lot of guys, but especially [guard] Mike Walker,” Doherty said. “He’s been doing a fabulous job in practice. He came in and gave us a big boost.”

Walker twice hit 3s to boost SMU’s lead to 8 points, once in the first half and once in the second. He finished with 9 points.

“I loved the way we moved the ball,” Doherty said. “I thought we were really unselfish and had good spacing and moved it around the floor pretty darned good.”

For Colorado, Dwight Thorne II had a team-high 18 points. Austin Dufault added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Bamba Fall, left, and Papa Dia elevate during player introductions on Monday. Fall had 13 points and 11 rebounds, his second double-double of the season, and Dia tallied 7 points and 6 boards off the bench.

SMU out-rebounded the Buffaloes, 38-27, including a 16-7 edge on the offensive boards, with big men Fall and Papa Dia collecting five each. Fall had a game-high 11 total rebounds. It was Fall’s second double-double of the season, the fifth of his career.

SMU shot 72.4 percent from the line, a notable improvement on its season average. The Mustangs made 21 of 29 attempts, both season highs. Williams finished a perfect 6-6 and Fall chipped in 7-10. Faye was 5-7.

Doherty said he used a zone defense frequently to keep Colorado off the free-throw line. (The Buffs went to the line just 11 times, hitting 10 shots.) “We want to be a [man-to-man] team but that stuff that they run, they get lay-ups and they get to the foul line. By playing some zone, we kept them off the foul line and we didn’t give up as many lay-ups.”

Cringe Time

After leading much of the first half, SMU trailed 33-32 at the break before smoking to a 44-36 lead with 12-3 burst to open the second half. A Fall lay-up with 9:44 remaining put SMU up, 54-44, matching its biggest lead of the game.

From there, the lead dwindled as Mustang fans cringed. When McCoy was tagged with an almost-never-called “carry” violation as SMU led by 6 with two minutes to play, Pony faithful turned their attention to the gentle-referees. Later, with seconds remaining in a one-possession game, fans let the zeebs hear it when another call went against the Mustangs under the Colorado basket.

But SMU held on.

Williams and McCoy came up big in the final minute, with Williams hitting four clutch free throws and McCoy nabbing two steals. Williams last two free throws gave SMU a 69-65 lead with eight seconds left. A Tomlinson jumper drew the Buffs to within two, before Fall added the final point from the line.

Former Mustang David Miller, a member of SMU’s 1971-72 Southwest Conference co-champion basketball team, was impressed with the win. “I think the last couple of games are the best basketball our team has played this year,” he said.

“Mouhammad Faye’s made a big difference and Paul McCoy continues to play, frankly, well above what he should be playing as a freshman. They’re beginning to kind of come together as a basketball team. I think Matt’s figured out what kind of lineup he wants, the two or three good guys behind the starters. We’re beginning to play solid basketball.”

“This a big win for us, to beat a Big 12 team.”

Time Flies

What was the difference this night from the 80-75 home loss to Texas-San Antonio a week ago? “That was last year,” joked Doherty. “Quit looking in the past. It’s a new year.”

Seriously, Doherty noted that Faye didn’t play much in that game and he thinks his team is “getting a feel for each other.”

“We only have one player who’s been in the program more than two years and that’s Bamba Fall. … We have guys now who are moving the ball better. I think we’re a little smarter, offensively. Now guys are getting into a little bit of a rhythm because they know their playing time.”

Mouhammad Faye collected 10 points and 3 rebounds in his third start for the Mustangs.

Starters McCoy, Fall, Faye, Williams and forward Frank Otis all logged big minutes, 38, 34, 31, 29, and 22, respectively.

“I think they know, ‘OK, I make a mistake, I can play through the mistake,’” Doherty said. “I’m letting them play through some mistakes, where early in the year, I’m trying to figure out rotations and lineups. Now I think guys are little bit more settled.”

“I feel like the team … is becoming whole. Our execution’s better. Our screening is better. We still have a lot of work to do but we’re getting better. It’s exciting to see.”

Doherty agreed the timing is great for his team to show cohesiveness. “No question,” he said. “We want to be playing our best basketball now and we are.” But, he added, “It’s fragile. Hopefully, we can perform well on Saturday. League play is going to be tougher. We’ll be better scouted. There are some really good teams.”

“Stefon Jackson is the all-time leading scorer at UTEP. They’re a good team. But hopefully we’re becoming a good team too.”

Next two for SMU:

• UTEP, Saturday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.
• @ Rice, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.

SMU Basketball Notes:

• SMU is now 6-14 all-time against the Big 12, including three wins over Baylor and two over Texas Tech. Texas is the only former SWC member of the Big 12 that the Mustangs have not played.
• McCoy leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. He’s on track to be the first Mustang freshman to lead the team in scoring.
• McCoy and Williams are the only two Mustangs to start all twelve games this season.
• Among C-USA teams, SMU ranks third in field goal percentage (.454), first in 3-point field goal percentage (.371) and fourth in blocked shots (4.75). The Mustangs are last in free throw shooting percentage (.622.) and assist/turnover ratio (.71). “Those are things we can control,” Doherty said. “Taking care of the basketball and foul shooting. … Hopefully, that’ll come.”

SMU’s current starting lineup

• F Mouhammad Faye (6-9, 215), Jr-TR
• F Frank Otis (6-6, 225), Fr-HS
• C Bamba Fall (7-1, 225), Sr
• G Derek Williams (6-1, 170), Jr-JC
• G Paul McCoy (5-11, 175), Fr-HS