Looking to get back on track, SMU next faces Cal Baptist – Field Level Media – Professional Sports Content Solutions

SMU needs a strong performance when it takes on Cal Baptist on Tuesday on the first day of the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Desert, California.

SMU (4-2) is coming off an 84-79 loss to Mississippi State on Friday. The Mustangs, who have lost two of their last three games, were down 76-75 with 53 seconds left, but the Bulldogs closed the game with an 8-4 run.

“We’re on the verge of winning some games against good teams,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said after the game. “We just have to keep improving.”

Cal Baptist (4-2) started the season 2-0 but has alternated losses and wins since then. The Lancers travel to Palm Desert looking for consecutive wins for the first time since beating Kennesaw State on Nov. 9.

SMU has relied on the contributions of several players, including Matt Cross, who made his second start of the season on Friday. Cross had 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists and is one of seven Mustangs players averaging at least eight points per game.

“Since he’s been healthy, he’s been playing pretty well,” Enfield said of Cross on the SMU radio show. “We just need to get better as a team, and so does Matt.”

Boopie Miller leads SMU with 17.3 points per game. Points weren’t a problem for the Mustangs, as they ranked 12th in Division I in offense heading into the weekend (89.7 points per game) and also averaged 18 assists per game.

Cal Baptist averages 79.5 points and 45.4 points on floor shooting. The Lancers shot their best shot of the season, 56.1 percent, in a 79-68 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday. Dominique Daniels Jr. and Martel Williams each scored 15 points to lead the win.

Daniels leads the team with an average of 19.5 points per game, while Williams and Kendal Coleman are averaging 12.5 points per game.

Cal Baptist coach Rick Croy said Coleman has been the glue for his team this season.

“We can give him the ball at any time and almost anywhere on the field,” Croy said of Coleman on the CBU Lancers Podcast. “You can count on him to make good decisions.”

–Field level media