Box Score LITTLE ROCK - The SMU Mustangs (5-3) picked up a 69-63 overtime victory at UALR (2-6) on Sunday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center led by 19 points off the bench from London Giles. The two teams were tied at 54-all at the end of regulation, but the Mustangs went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in the overtime session, including a 3-for-3 effort from three-point range.
"You have to give SMU credit. They made plays late. When you get to overtime against a team that goes four-for-four from the field and three-for-three from three-point range, you're not going to win against that," said UALR head coach Steve Shields. "What I told our guys in the locker room is that it's not one guy. We as a team got beat tonight. We didn't execute late the way we needed to."
Giles went 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range in the win, helping SMU's reserves outscore UALR's bench 33-to-7. Robert Nyakundi added 15 points off 6-of-9 shooting for the Mustangs, while Jeremiah Samarrippas chipped in 12 points and six assists.
UALR senior D'Andre Williams led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, but accounted for eight of the Trojans' 21 turnovers in the loss. Sophomore Will Neighbour added 15 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds (six offensive), to help UALR to a +10 margin on the glass (31-to-21). UALR shot 45.5 percent from the field, but made just 7-of-22 from three-point range (31.8 percent), with Williams going 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Both teams had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Williams missed a jumper on the baseline with 14 seconds left and Samarrippas missed a layup as time expired. UALR held a 58-56 lead with 3:34 left in overtime after senior Courtney Jackson made 1-of-2 free throws, but SMU scored seven-unanswered points, with three pointers by Giles and Nyakandi, to go on top 63-58 with 1:07 left to play.
Williams answered with a three pointer to bring UALR within two, 63-61, but Nyakandi delivered his second three pointer of the extra session to extend SMU's lead to five points, 66-61. Williams sank a pair of foul shots with 24 seconds remaining to cut UALR's deficit to three, 66-63, but the Trojans would not get any closer. UALR missed its final two field goal attempts, and SMU closed out the game by going 3-for-4 at the foul line to pull out the 69-63 win.
The Trojans took control of the game early on by ripping off a 17-0 run early in the first half. Making his first start of the year, Neighbour scored eight points during the run with a pair of three pointers to help the Trojans build a 19-5 advantage with 11:57 left in the half.
UALR led 22-8 after a three pointer by freshman Ben Dillard, but SMU used a 12-4 run over the next 6:49 to cut its deficit to six points, 26-20, following a pair of foul shots by Ricmonds Vilde. The Trojans cooled off after their 17-0 run, going 7:08 between field goals after Dillard's three pointer gave them the 22-8 edge.
Samarrippas led SMU with nine points in the first half, and delivered a layup with three seconds left to bring the Mustangs within six, 30-24, at the break. UALR played to a commanding +14 rebounding margin in the first half (19-to-5) and held the Mustangs without a single offensive rebound over the first 20 minutes. Neighbour led all players with 12 points and eight boards at the half.
SMU came out firing at the start of the second half, answering a layup by Williams with an 11-0 run, with two three pointers by Giles, to take a 35-32 lead at the 16:55 mark. The two teams traded baskets over the course of the second half, with SMU taking its largest lead, 52-47, with 3:36 left after a layup by Leslee Smith. UALR fought back to even things up at 54-all as Neighbour hit a three pointer and Williams delivered two jumpers, the last of which tied the game at 54-54 with 1:07 remaining in regulation.
UALR returns to action Tuesday night when it hosts Philander Smith at 5:15 p.m.
