Jarrey Foster’s last game at Moody Colisieum ended in disappointment.
The senior forward played for the first time since suffering a knee injury against Houston on Jan. 16, but his presence wasn’t enough to lead the Mustangs to victory. That’s because Wichita State held SMU to just 36.5 percent shooting en route to a 67-55 win Sunday at on Senior Day.
Foster had trouble shooting in his first game back. He shot just one of six from the floor, though he did make four free throws. In 20 minutes he scored seven points and grabbed two rebounds. He also took a charge and several spills on the floor, but came up fine each time.
His struggles from the floor were emblematic of SMU’s offensive woes. The Mustangs were missing their second-leading scorer Jimmy Whitt, who suffered a shoulder injury Wednesday against Cincinnati, sources told HillTopics. Without him, SMU lacked a surefire shooter and a true point guard. Senior Jahmal McMurray was forced to run point and the offense just didn’t have the same flow with him at the helm, resulting in long scoreless stretches.
In the first half, Ethan Chargois’ and-one layup ended a 10-2 run that saw SMU pull within four at 24-20. But Wichita State forced SMU into one a scoring drought, as the Mustangs failed to score for the next three minutes and failed to make a field goal for more than five minutes. While SMU couldn’t score, the Shockers took advantage and embarked on a 17-4 run to take a 41-28 lead into the half.
The Mustangs weren’t settling for bad shots, but the team just couldn’t finish. This was especially evident from behind the 3-point line. After Foster hit a 3-pointer with 8:03 left in the first half, SMU went more than 19 minutes before making another one. Chargois finally broke that streak with a 3-pointer that made the score 61-43 with 8:22 left. It was one of just three 3-pointers that SMU made. The team finished three of 26 from behind the 3-point line.
After missing all five of his shots against Cincinnati Wednesday, Chargois found his stroke once again. The sophomore big man scored 13 points on five of six shooting. Eight of his points came in the second half.
SMU started James Pyle and Nat Dixon and both seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony. It was Pyle’s first start and he played the game’s first three minutes, missing two shots in that span. Dixon did not make a shot, but helped out on the defensive end and grabbed several rebounds.
After making several baskets early, McMurray struggled. He finished with 13 points on five of 15 shooting. Just two of his 13 points came in the second half.
SMU held Wichita State’s leading scorer Markis McDuffie to just four of 17 shooting. However, he still finished with 15 points. While Wichita State shot 53.3 percent in the first half, it struggled in the second half, shooting 27 percent. SMU made just one of 15 3-pointers over that span, mirroring Wichita’s struggles.
The Mustangs finish their season’s home slate with a 10-8 record. It’s the team’s worst record at Moody under Tim Jankovich.
