Boopie Miller scored 21 points and dished out seven assists as SMU pulled away from UNC Greensboro in an 81-68 win on Monday night in Dallas.
Miller, who recorded his third-straight performance of 20 points or more, paced an SMU offense that shot 42.9 percent and tallied 19 points off turnovers. B.J. Edwards finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs (3-0), and Samet Yigitoglu added 13 points.
Kenyon Giles led UNC Greensboro (1-1) with 21 points. Malik Henry scored 14 points, and Ronald Polite III contributed 12.
UNC Greensboro charged out to a 7-3 lead before SMU’s first offensive surge. The Mustangs scored 11 consecutive points, capped by Miller’s 3-pointer with 15:40 left in the first half.
UNC Greensboro responded, cutting the deficit to 19-15 on Donovan Atwell’s reverse layup, and on the ensuing possession, Giles’ driving layup put the Spartans within two. Polite’s fastbreak layup tied the score, and UNC Greensboro soon claimed a 21-19 lead when Jalen Breath scored in the paint off a well-placed pass from Miles Jones on the right wing.
The lead changed hands three times in a span of 1:12. Edwards connected on a 3-pointer for a 26-24 lead with 6:23 remaining and the Mustangs led for the rest of the first half, taking a 41-35 lead into the intermission.
UNC Greensboro cut the deficit to 44-41 on a Giles’ 3-pointer with 16:33 to go in the second half, but that was as close as the Spartans got. SMU answered with a 9-0 run, which included a jumper from Matt Cross that put the Mustangs up 52-41 with 13:56 left.
The double-digit lead held until the 5:06 mark, when Polite drove right on a layup and cut SMU’s advantage to nine. The Mustangs’ counter came on the next possession, as Miller caught an inbounds pass, dribbled downcourt and passed to Yigitoglu between a pair of defenders. Yigitoglu finished with a two-handed dunk and was fouled as he flew toward the rim. He extended the lead to 68-56 on the ensuing free throw.
Yigitoglu and Miller combined for another highlight-reel-worthy play with 2:22 left as Miller lofted an alley-oop to Yigitoglu for an 80-61 lead.
–Field Level Media
