In its most complete performance of the season the SMU Mustangs earned a quality win. It was a bench player who led the way, as Nat Dixon hit three 3-pointers early to help SMU to an early lead that it never relinquished in the Mustangs’ 81-73 win over the Georgetown Hoyas Saturday in Washington D.C.
Dixon, who was held scoreless in SMU’s loss to TCU 10 days ago, came off the bench with SMU down 15-8. He immediately hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Jimmy Whitt. On SMU’s next possession, he hit another one, this time off of a slick pass from Ethan Chargois. Two minutes later, he found the bottom of the net once again off an assist from Whitt. Dixon accounted for half of SMU’s points during a 22-7 run, which left SMU with a 30-22 lead at its conclusion.
Dixon did not find the basket again, but his contributions were substantial. After taking the lead, SMU did not give it up. Georgetown came close to capturing it a couple of times, however. The Hoyas cut SMU’s lead to just a bucket in the final minute of the first half, and SMU took a 39-34 lead going into the break.
It did so without much production from leading scorer Jahmal McMurray, who was held scoreless for the first 18:30 of the game. He finally got on the board with a 3-pointer and three free throws in the half’s final two minutes. But McMurray came out of the locker room hot, hitting two 3-pointers in the first four minutes. The rest of the team followed suit, as the Mustangs rattled off a 12-2 run that saw their lead swell to 13 at 51-38. Once again, the Hoyas battled their way back into the game, mounting a 22-12 run behind a collection of fast breaks and free throws. SMU’s lead was down to three at 63-60 with just more than 8 minutes left.
The game was starting to resemble SMU’s loss to TCU on Dec. 5, where the Mustangs held a halftime lead before letting it evaporate thanks to an opponent’s run just after the half. But this time, they fought back and denied the Hoyas.
It was the Mustangs’ big men who paved the way to victory. Isiaha Mike had ten points over the game’s final eight minutes, six of them coming off of free throws. Ethan Chargois added a jumper and a 3-pointer as SMU outscored the Hoyas 18-11 in the game’s final 8:37.
Held to just six in the first half, McMurray came alive with 13 points in the second half and finished with a team-high 19. Mike and Chargois both added 17.
SMU’s 3-point shooting was the key to its win. The team shot 40 percent from behind the arc and held the Hoyas to 22 percent. In a game where both teams took almost the same amount of field goal attempts (SMU had 59, Georgetown had 58), that proved to be the difference.
The win is the Mustang’s best on the season by RPI rating, as Georgetown was ranked 40th in the metric coming into the game. The Mustangs improve to 7-4 on the season. The team faces Cornell next Saturday in its final non-conference game.
Player of the Game: Nat Dixon
Coming into Saturday, Nat Dixon hadn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard. The senior transfer had just one game with more than 10 points, and that came in SMU’s opener. Against TCU, he was held scoreless in 22 minutes. But at Georgetown, he provided the Mustangs with some key minutes and got them going offensively.
Dixon finished with 11 points, all of which came during SMU’s 22-7 run in the first half. He hit three 3-pointers and a floater, finishing four of six from the floor. One of those misses was a heat check, which was understandable given the fact that he’d hit three straight. While Dixon may never be a volume scorer, he showed he has the ability to come off of the bench and spark runs with his high-energy play. That’s something SMU has missed this season.
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Offense finally gets going: After struggling to create shots and opportunities against better opponents, SMU looked to have solved some of its issues Saturday. The off-ball movement was much improved and the team was able to create scoring opportunities off of backdoor cuts. SMU’s set plays looked a lot crisper, meaning that the scoring burden didn’t fall upon one player like it has in the past. Mike, Dixon, McMurray and Chargois all finished in double figures. Whitt assisted on five buckets and did not record a turnover.
Foster struggles again: Jarrey Foster looked better on defense, at one point swatting away an alley-oop attempt on a fast break to deny the Hoyas points. But he was limited offensively. Foster was three of nine from the floor and missed all four of his shots from 3-point range. He corralled just two rebounds in 30 minutes. His experience can help the Mustangs on the floor, but he’s not the same Foster we’re used to seeing.
Big men combine for 34: While Chargois looked sloppy at times Saturday, his performance was crucial to the Mustang's victory. He had 17 points on 7-12 shooting and made three of seven 3-pointers. Ten of his points came during the second half. The one downside to his performance? He turned the ball over five times and was called for three traveling violations.
Not to be outdone, Mike added another 17, hauling in nine boards as well. Like Chargois, Mike scored 10 points in the second half. However, he came about that total by making nine of 13 free throws. Mike was just four of 11 from the floor. He also added four assists.
Up next
SMU takes on Cornell at Moody next Saturday. The Big Red are 4-4 on the season, but played Syracuse tough on Dec. 1.
