Isiaha Mike started the game poorly, but he finished it on fire.

After turning the ball over three times in the game's first few minutes, Mike rebounded in a big way, scoring 20 points while shooting 70 percent from the floor to lead SMU to an 85-75 win over Tulane Saturday evening at Moody Coliseum.

Mike, a Duquesne transfer, made all five of his 3-point shots. He had been hesitant to take those shots early in the season, but he's taken at least five shots from behind the arc in the team's last five games, making 43 percent of those shots.

Despite being a 15-point favorite, SMU couldn't pull away from the Green Wave in the first half. In fact, the team trailed for most of it. The Mustangs had trouble finding room to shoot against the Tulane zone, which was compounded by a stagnant offense that featured little movement off of the ball.

Tulane was able to find room inside using the same formula that it had success with in the team's first game against SMU in early January. The Green Wave bigs were able to turn crisp off-ball movement into easy shot opportunities, which was part of the reason that the team had 16 points in the paint, while SMU had just eight.

The two teams were tied in the final moments of the first half, but Tulane forward Kevin Zhang hit a contested 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give Tulane a 35-32 lead.

While Tulane dictated the pace of the game in its first frame, SMU was able to take charge in the second half. The Mustangs took the lead for the first time in the half with 13:59 left after Isiaha Mike hit a 3-pointer that made it a 45-43 game. After trading the lead several times over the next few minutes, the Mustangs captured it for good when Jahmal McMurray hit a free-throw with 6:23 left, giving SMU a one-point lead.

From that point on, the Mustangs outscored Tulane by a 24-15 margin. The team owed its success to efficient shooting over the final 20 minutes. SMU made 51.6 percent of its shots in the second half after shooting just 40 percent in the first half.

McMurray broke out of a shooting slump in a big way, making 10 of 18 shots, including five of nine from behind the 3-point line for a 29-point night. That was the second-most points he has scored this season.

With Jarrey Foster out again (knee), team relied on Hunt to play big minutes, especially after Ethan Chargois fouled out in the second half. He finished the night with seven points and seven rebounds, but Hunt's impact went beyond the stats sheet. He had a rundown block and saved a ball from going out of bounds on back-to-back possessions, leading to a run for SMU.

Jimmy Whitt struggled to shoot the basketball, making on two of seven shots from the floor, but he gathered eight rebounds and dished out eight assists.

SMU moves to 12-7 (4-3) on the season. It will take on Wichita State Wednesday in Kansas.