By: Alex Bustillo
@txsportsblog
It had been 32 days since the Mustangs last played a game, a 71-56 win over East Carolina on February 8th. SMU was 11-4 at that point. They would not play another game until their quarterfinal matchup in the AAC tournament at Dickies Arena on March 12th against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
These two programs always bring the best out of each other and play really close, competitive games. This one was no different. A totally different atmosphere in a season where absolutely nothing was normal, but a lot on the line for both teams fighting for a postseason tournament berth.
It was expected for SMU to come out sluggish as they had just been able to practice recently and started playing 5 on 5 three short days ago. This Mustangs team really wanted the opportunity to decide their fate, especially since the program was hit hard by COVID. Friday afternoon they had that opportunity, albeit without a few players and others on minutes restrictions. SMU shot just 36% on 9-25 and committed 12 turnovers resulting in a 30-23 halftime deficit. Unfortunately, the Mustangs shooting percentage would not improve in the second half.
Southern Methodist would start the 2nd half 0-10 with 5 turnovers that led to the Bearcats extending their lead to 20 points at 44-24. Everytime SMU would score or gain some momentum, it seemed, Jeremiah Davenport would lace a corner triple for Cincinnati. He finished with a team high 19 points on 6-10 shooting and added 7 rebounds.
Junior guard Kendric Davis would not let SMU go quietly. The Mustangs would mount an epic comeback attempt fueled by Davis' 27 second half points on 6-11 shooting, 4-6 from beyond the arc and 11-15 from the line on his way to a career high 35 points. Tyson Jolly added 7 points and 6 rebounds all in the second half. SMU would claw their way back to within 6 a couple times late in the game but ultimately come up short, losing 74-71.
Coach Tim Jankovich said he was extremely proud of his team's effort, but said this team played nothing like the SMU earlier in the season before the cancellations. He was forced to make constant adjustments, because they had a hard time scoring against the zone. Coach Jankovich attributed their second half run to going small and being really aggressive. He praised his junior guard's performance stating it was nothing short of spectacular and he showed toughness, heart and work ethic. Coach Jank is optimistic SMU will receive an NIT bid to continue their season.
SMU hopes to have back their core of players next season and attract some transfers in order to compete and possibly return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
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