The SMU Mustangs lost to Houston 69-58, but an injury to a key player overshadowed the result.

Senior forward Jarrey Foster took a hard fall into the baseline just before the 16-minute mark in the first half. He came up holding his left knee, which has been surgically repaired twice to fix a torn ACL. It was the knee that Foster tore last season against Wichita State, which required him to miss the first few games of SMU’s season.

Foster went to the locker room after the injury, but returned shortly after. While he was on the sideline, Foster rode the stationary bike before going back to the locker room a few moments later. He would not return.

While Jimmy Whitt made his first two shots of the game before the under-16 time out, SMU struggled to score after Foster’s injury. So they turned to Whitt, the lanky guard with the unorthodox shooting form, to lead the team. Whitt scored SMU’s first ten points of the game before Isiaha Mike provided some assistance, hitting a layup at the 8:45 mark to become the second Mustang in the scoring column. Whitt’s performance was all the more shocking considering he was limited in shoot around due to illness.

SMU closed Houston’s lead to 23-20 with three minutes left in the first half, but Houston guard Galen Robinson Jr. banked in a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to increase the lead to six. Such was the story for SMU during the game’s first twenty minutes. The team was able to shot down the Cougars offense and force long possessions, but Houston kept hitting shots as the clock ran down. Usually, it was Armoni Brooks who was doing the scoring. He had 14 points in the first half and hit four 3-pointers, including one right before halftime that sent the Cougars into the locker room with a 31-22 lead.

Houston came out of the locker room and quickly increased its lead to double-digits, where it would remain for the rest of the half. The Cougars built their lead behind efficient shooting. They only made 32 percent of their shots in the first half, but that increased to 62.5 percent in the second half.

While SMU was able to hold Armoni Brooks to just five points in the second half, it couldn’t stop Houston’s other guard, Corey Davis Jr. He did the bulk of the scoring the first few minutes of the second half, making his first seven shots. Unlike Brooks, he was able to find space within the key. Just one of those shots came from behind the 3-point line.

SMU cut Houston’s lead down to single digits with just two minutes left, but could not sustain one final run, sealing its fate.

It was the second time in three games that the Mustangs failed to eclipse 40 percent shooting – making just 38 percent of its shots. They shot just 21 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Whitt made nine of 11 shots and led SMU with 20 points. Isiaha Mike scored 15, 11 of which came in the second half. Fellow big man Ethan Chargois had a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling in 12 rebounds despite making just three of 12 shots. Jahmal McMurray also struggled from the floor, making just three of 14 shots.

SMU drops to 11-6 (3-2) in conference play. The team will travel to Memphis Saturday, where they will take on the Tigers. It is unclear if Foster will make the trip.

It was Houston coach Kelvin Sampson's 600th career win.