SMU Basketball Update: Turnaround Time

Mustangs Dump TCU, 71-65, For Third Consecutive Win

DALLAS – The sting of an 0-4 start is fading for SMU.

Before a season-high home crowd of 3,219, the Mustangs rallied Wednesday to knock off arch rival TCU in the State Farm DFW Dual for their third win a row. The victory came on the heels of an important 62-56 road win at UT-San Antonio on Saturday.

It was the Mustangs’ third consecutive win over the Horned Frogs and their fourth in the last five get-togethers.

Board Battle

SMU seniors, from left, Jon Killen, Paulius Ritter and Derrick Roberts show off the State Farm DFW Dual trophy after the Mustangs topped TCU for the third year in a row.

For the second game in a row, senior Paulius Ritter and freshman Papa Dia led SMU with eight rebounds each. “To win the rebounding battle by 10 against a very good rebounding team, I think, says a lot about the way our guys competed,” Doherty said.

The 6-7, 255-pound Ritter, who missed the first two games due to suspension, is becoming a hit with Doherty with his toughness on the boards and effective defensive play.

“We struggled rebounding the ball, quite frankly, until Paulius Ritter entered the lineup,” Doherty said. “His defense, especially in the first half on [Kevin] Langford set the tone.”

Ritter helped hold Langford, the Frogs’ third-leading scorer, to five points in the first half.

Ritter’s 25 minutes of playing time was a career-high.

Guard Jon Killen collected 14 points, with three steals, six assists and one turnover. (SMU had just three turnovers in the second half, after losing it 11 times in the first.) Killen also drove the lane for several key second-half layups.

Other Mustangs scoring in double digits were Dia, with 12 points, and Alex Malone, with 10.

Energizer Bamba

Bamba Fall had two blocked shots and two dunks, all coming in one second-half outburst that ignited the crowd. “Bamba, he’s an energizer,” Doherty said. “I’ve been pushing Bamba to play with great energy. He doesn’t always, but when he does, that’s what he can do.”

Head Coach Matt Doherty, right, discusses SMU's big win with the television crew. Doherty is 2-0 against the Frogs.

Roberts said Fall’s dunks were the turning point in the game. “I think Bamba is the most athletic guy, probably, on the team. He really does a lot of things for us.”

Fall went down early in the second half after collision under TCU’s basket, but returned. “He doesn’t have a whole lot of meat on that body,” Doherty said, “so when you bang knees with Bamba, he’s gonna lose that battle most of the time.”

SMU shot 43.5 percent from the field to TCU’s 38.7. The Frogs led by five at the half.

“To keep them under 40 percent from the field, our defense has kicked in a little bit,” Doherty said. “Knock on wood.”

TCU was led by Brent Hackett with 17 points and Henry Salter with 15.

Doherty said he told the Mustangs after the game that TCU (4-3) could probably finish in the top three or four teams in C-USA and that the win should be a confidence-builder.

Did this game answer Doherty’s “toughness” questions about his team, once and for all?

“No,” Killen said. “It’s not a one-time deal. He’s gonna stay on us about that. We proved ourselves for one night.”

Next Two:

• Sunday, December 9, vs. Houston Baptist, 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, December 18, vs. South Carolina-Upstate, 7 p.m.

Ronnie sez:
“I feel like there was great leadership out there from some of the seniors like Killen and Roberts. The whole team played good. I’m just real excited to see them win a big game like this.”

Ronnie Perry (SMU ’69) has followed SMU basketball since 1957.

SMU Basketball Notes:

• This was the 183 rd meeting between SMU and TCU, a series that began in 1918. The Mustangs hold a 101-82 advantage.

• Matt Doherty and TCU coach Neil Dougherty were assistants under Roy Williams at Kansas from 1995-99.

• On Tuesday, the Mustangs practiced for the first time in the new Crum Basketball Center. Doherty again thanked those who “wrote big checks” for the facility and said it’s already providing valuable scheduling flexibility. He added that its seven simultaneous-use baskets provide more free throw-shooting reps.

• Paulius Ritter, who wants to be a Navy Seal, received unique pre-game instructions from Doherty. “Alright … you want to be a Navy Seal?” Doherty said he asked Ritter. “The Navy Seals have missions. I expect you to go out there and guard Langford and rebound. That’s your mission.” Doherty to Ritter after the game? “Seal-man, you executed your mission.”

• At UTSA, Mike Walker led SMU with 13 points and Alex Malone had 12. Derrick Roberts’ four key free throws in the final seconds iced it.