No. 10 SMU Stays Unbeaten by Routing East Carolina 79-55
No. 10 SMU remains unbeaten after routing East Carolina 79-55 on Wednesday.
By Joedy McCreary
AP Sports Writer
Markus Kennedy had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Tolbert finished with 15 points and Nic Moore had a career-high 12 assists for the Mustangs (16-0, 5-0 American Athletic Conference), who had five double-figure scorers for the fourth time this season.
Playing their first game as a top-10 team in 31 years, they never trailed and shot 52.5 percent while extending the best start and second-longest winning streak in school history.
Caleb White and B.J. Tyson scored 15 points apiece to lead the Pirates (8-9, 0-4), who shot 33 percent in the second half and lost their fourth straight to remain one of two teams winless in AAC play.
Shake Milton scored 13 points and Sterling Brown had 11 for SMU, which put this one away by opening the second half with a 17-4 run. The Mustangs held East Carolina scoreless for five minutes and pushed their lead into the 20s on a 3-pointer by Milton that made it 58-36 with just over 13 minutes left. The Pirates never got closer than 17 the rest of the way.
SMU moved into the top 10 earlier this week for the first time since 1984-85, when the Mustangs climbed to No. 2 with future NBA center Jon Koncak patrolling the paint in Dallas. Unlike that team, this group won't play in the postseason due to NCAA sanctions, meaning the finish line comes March 6 at Cincinnati.
Also See:
- The Dallas Morning News: Then there was one: SMU is only remaining undefeated team in college basketball
- SMU Athletics: No. 10 SMU Routs ECU, 79-55
- The AP Top 25 Poll
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