SMU’s strong second half of the year plunges Washington State into ruin | National

A second-half surge helped SMU pull away from Washington State and win the Acrisure Holiday Invitational championship game 77-60 on Wednesday night in Palm Springs, Calif. The Mustangs (6-2) defeated Washington State 50:29 in their last 20 games and shot 56.7 percent in the second half. It was a remarkable turnaround for a team that was shooting just 30.6 percent before halftime. Boopie Miller led SMU’s offense with 16 points, including 11 in the second half. Samet Yigitoglu posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Washington State (6-2) had multiple scoring losses in the second half as its four-point halftime lead dwindled. Nate Calmese led the Cougars with 15 points and six assists. Ethan Price and LeJuan Watts added 12 points each. The Mustangs trailed by seven in the first minute of the second half, but a 7-0 run capped by a dunk from Yigitoglu set the tone for the final 18 minutes. SMU equalized again at 16:01 and then took the lead for the first time with two free throws from BJ Edwards. A 9-2 spurt by the Mustangs was the positive break they needed after a rough start as SMU took a 50-44 lead. The Mustangs galloped away from Washington State as the second half progressed, highlighted by an 8-0 run in a span of 1:54 that extended their lead to 69-55 when Yigitoglu added another with 2:59 left Dunk threw. Combined with a scoreless 3:09 for Washington State, SMU pulled away. The Cougars led the entire first half, starting with a 5-1 run in front of the goal, and took a 17-10 lead with 9:46 left. But in the last eight minutes their lead shrank to one three times. SMU cut the deficit to 26-25 with 2:25 left when Edwards made up for his own miss. However, Edwards turned the ball over on an off-target pass on SMU’s ensuing possession, leading to a 3-pointer by Isaiah Watts and a four-point lead for Washington State. SMU went into a scoring drought after Edwards’ layup and Washington State took a 31-27 lead at the break. –Field level media