SMU basketball update: Pressing Issues

Mustangs Lose Handle Late, Fall To UTEP, 72-67

CUSA Fans SMU Correspondent Rick Atkinson brings you his latest SMU basketball update.

SMU let another one get away Saturday.

This time the Mustangs led the whole way before UTEP took the lead with four minutes remaining and went on to collect its first road win of the season.

Donatas Rackauskas' 3-point shot to tie with seconds remaining was off the mark as SMU fell to 0-4 in conference play, 11-7 overall.

The turnover bug bit the Mustangs again – hard. UTEP's second-half press defense forced error after error down the stretch, as SMU had no answer for the Miners' quickness. On the night, the Mustangs committed 24 turnovers.

UTEP (12-7, 4-1) picked up 12 points directly off SMU turnovers during its decisive push.

"Turnovers have been a problem for us all year long," Doherty said. "We've tweaked press offense. May be we'll continue to tweak it. But, that's been an issue, and that's unfortunately, who we've been and who we are."

"We've gotta continue to work at it."

UTEP head coach Tony Barbee said he had to do something to speed up the game.

"Obviously, you see how much bigger than us they are [than us]," he said. "And I knew we couldn't go into a half-court slugfest, because we had no chance.

"We tried to play solid defense early and they were just too big. And I told our guys, ‘Let's just go press.'"

At one point, the flustered Mustangs failed to inbound the ball under the Miners' basket on three consecutive possessions. Two were errant passes and the other, a five-second call.

How to fix that? "We have to cut harder, as simple as that sounds," said Doherty.

Other turnovers came when SMU's big men tried to put the ball on the floor.

Devon Pearson led the Mustangs with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ike Ofoegbu had 14 points and nine rebounds. Jon Killen tallied 10 points.

Bamba Fall had four blocks and now has 14 in conference play.

UTEP's Stefon Jackson led all scorers with 18 points.

The Mustangs outrebounded the smaller UTEP team, 39-30, but in the end, the Miners' quickness prevailed.

SMU led by 14 with five minutes remaining in the first half, but UTEP crept back in it, aided by two consecutive turnover possessions by the Mustangs near the three-minute mark. When the Miners tipped in the final shot of the half to trail, 32-29, the writing was on the wall.

"We just didn't execute," Ofoegbu said. "If we continue to play our game and take care of the ball, we'll be alright."

"I'm proud of my team," Doherty said. "We've come up empty in league play, but our guys haven't quit."

"We just have to keep chipping away. And I told them to keep knocking on that door and eventually, we'll knock that sucker down."

Next game: Wednesday, January 24 vs. Tulane, 7 p.m.

Two after that: Saturday, January 27 @ Tulsa, 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 31 @ UAB, 7 p.m.

Ronnie sez: "[They need to] keep playing hard and hopefully there'll be some wins down the road. I think these next two or three games are gonna be tough. It's not a lack of effort. I think they just need to relax and try to get some confidence back, and figure out an answer for this press that people are putting on."

(Ronnie Perry has followed SMU hoops since 1957.)

Notes:

• Attendance – 3,038

  "I thought the crowd was great," Doherty said. "UTEP brings some people, but we had a good crowd. I think if we continue to give that kind of effort, people will appreciate that. At least, those are the comments I've gotten."

• Doherty has incorporated a three-color light system for 3-point shooting. Players are assigned a specific color each game, based on shooting percentage:

  Red – no 3-point shooting
  Yellow – ball has to go inside first
  Green – may shoot 3's whenever open

• At Saturday's game, SMU honored basketball alumni from the last 50 years. There was a ten-minute alumni game at halftime.

  "They're good guys," Doherty said of the former Mustangs. "We had a reception last night for them. We want to encourage them to continue to come back."

• Kudos to my colleague, UTEP writer Robert Robles, who called it 80-71, Miners.

  "I'm not worthy…"