Dallas, TX (Sports Network) – Robert Nyakundi scored 26 points to lead the SMU Mustangs to a 76-66 overtime victory over the Rice Owls in a Conference-USA bout at Moody Coliseum.
Papa Dia added a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds for SMU (17-10, 8-5 C-USA), while Jeremiah Samarrippas and Mike Walker finished with 10 points apiece.
Tamir Jackson scored 22 points for Rice (12-15, 4-9), while Lucas Kuipers and Connor Frizzelle posted 16 and 15 points, respectively.
SMU went into the intermission with a 27-18 lead after holding Rice to a weak 28.6 percent shooting effort over the first 20 minutes of action.
SMU only shot 21.7 percent in the second stanza, but finished with a 20-of-23 showing from the foul line. However, SMU’s effort at the charity stripe could not hold off the charging Owls, who sent the game into overtime thanks to Arsalan Kazemi’s two successful free throws with two seconds remaining in regulation.
Rice jump out to a two-point lead in the extra session, but that would be the only lead for the Owls, as SMU outscored its counterpart, 19-7 the rest of the way.
SMU finished 32-of-38 from the foul line, and won the battle on the glass by a 41-25 margin.