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SMU returns to the court with a road win over Temple

After a two-week hiatus, the Mustangs returned to action and earned an AAC road win Wednesday afternoon.

Kendric Davis (left), Tim Jankovich and the SMU Mustangs beat Temple, 79-71, Wednesday afternoon.
Kendric Davis (left), Tim Jankovich and the SMU Mustangs beat Temple, 79-71, Wednesday afternoon. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA Today Sports)

Fourteen days away from the court saw early-game rust from the SMU basketball team. But the rust wasn't enough to get in the way of a key conference victory for the Mustangs.

SMU defeated Temple, 79-71, Wednesday afternoon at The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. With the win, the Mustangs remained unbeaten at 6-0 on the season and will go into the 2021 calendar year with a 2-0 record in American Athletic Conference play.

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Temple fell to 1-2 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. The rust was easily noticeable early for the Mustangs, as they missed their first five shots from the floor. An Emmanuel Bandoumel 3-pointer with 14:30 in the half gave SMU its first lead, 11-9. SMU led, 37-32, at the half.

Temple, however, rallied in the second half. The Owls, who once trailed by 11, got to within two a couple of times early in the second half, and finally regained the lead with 14:01 left, as JP Moorman II scored on a layup.

But SMU not only regained the lead but used an 8-0 run to extend the lead. Kendric Davis gave the Mustangs a 48-47 lead. The Mustangs then forced a turnover, and Davis scored on a layup with 13:19 in the half. After made free throws by Bandoumel, Feron Hunt gave SMU a seven-point advantage with a driving layup.

From there, the Mustangs managed to hold off a determined Temple team with a balanced offensive attack. Four Mustangs finished with double figures in scoring, and the two leading scorers came off the bench in Darius McNeill and Yor Anei.

McNeill finished with 17 points and made 6 of 10 shots. He also had four rebounds. Anei, playing in his second game with the Mustangs, had 14 points and added five blocked shots.

Davis filled the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Mustangs. Brendan Barry led Temple with 17 points, including five 3-pointers.

The win now sets up a much-anticipated Jan. 3 matchup, as SMU will host No. 5 Houston. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.

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