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SMU tops Temple, gets back to winning ways

The Mustangs snapped a two-game skid with a 79-68 victory over the Owls Monday afternoon.

Feron Hunt had 16 points and 10 rebounds in SMU's 79-68 win over Temple Monday afternoon.
Feron Hunt had 16 points and 10 rebounds in SMU's 79-68 win over Temple Monday afternoon. (Rob Graham)

SMU needed a win on the basketball court, and it was able to get the job done Monday afternoon.

After losing back-to-back games, the Mustangs got back to their winning ways with a 79-68 victory over Temple at Moody Coliseum. With the win, SMU (7-2, 3-2 in AAC) also earned the sweep of Temple (1-3, 0-3).

"We needed to win. We had a rough week last week," SMU head coach Tim Jankovich said. "We led both games at halftime, but that and a quarter won't get you a doughnut. You don't get anything for close. We needed to win this game ... it's a big boost."

It was a game where the Mustangs took a 4-2 lead early and never trailed again. There were a couple of stints early in the game where Temple threatened to regain an edge, but SMU controlled the pace and managed to score an important conference victory.

For the game, SMU shot 43% from the field, but it was defense that helped the Mustangs leave Moody with a win. Temple shot only 39% from the floor, and the Owls were outrebounded, 43-31. To add, SMU had 15 offensive rebounds to Temple's nine.

SMU led, 37-34, at the half, and Temple got as close as one point early in the half. But every time the Owls made a run, SMU countered. There was a three-plus-minute stretch midway in the half where the Mustangs didn't score a field goal, but free throws by Feron Hunt and Kendric Davis helped them extend their lead to 66-56 with 8:33 remaining.

Davis and Hunt once again had big games for SMU. Davis finished with a game-high 22 points, and he also had seven assists and four rebounds. Hunt recorded another double-double on the season, 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also had a couple of highlight dunks.

Emmanuel Bandoumel finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, and he made his first four 3-pointers. Ethan Chargois added 12 points and five assists in the win.

Temple was led by Damian Dunn and Brendan Barry, who each had 17 points. Dunn added five assists, while Barry made five 3-pointers off the bench.

SMU next will travel to Memphis for a Thursday matchup against the Tigers. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

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