Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Papa Dia poured in a game-high 27 points and pulled down seven rebounds to power the SMU Mustangs to a 65-51 win over the Houston Cougars in a Conference-USA battle at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Robert Nyakundi added 16 points in the win for SMU (16-9, 7-4 C-USA).
Maurice McNeil scored 14 points to pace Houston (12-12, 4-7), which also received 12 points from Darian Thibodeaux in the loss.
The Mustangs made good on 62.5 percent of its attempts from the floor during the opening stanza to earn a 39-32 halftime advantage.
It was more of the same in the second half, as the Mustangs converted 50 percent of their attempts from the field en route to the 14-point victory.
The Cougars were guilty of a game-high 15 giveaways in the loss.