DALLAS — SMU coach Rob Lanier and his players aren’t focusing on the upcoming conference tournament or talking about getting their 20th win of the season. They’re focused on breaking the three-game losing streak they’re currently on.
“We’re not talking about seeding. We’re not talking about 20 wins. We’re not talking about championships,” Lanier said in his post-game press conference after SMU’s 77-73 loss to Texas-San Antonio. “We’re talking about this game and get ready for ECU.”
SMU only has two more games left in the regular season. The Mustangs will play their final home game at 7 p.m. Wednesday against East Carolina (14-14, 7-8 AAC). They’ll wrap up the regular season next Sunday at UAB (18-10, 10-5 AAC) and their final AAC championship tournament is scheduled to begin March 14.
The Mustangs’ losing streak began two weeks ago in an 80-70 loss to Florida Atlantic. That loss ended the Mustangs’ longest win streak of the season (six games). After a loss to South Florida, SMU was off for six days. Then the Roadrunners came to Moody Coliseum with an offense that averages the ninth most three-point attempts per game in the nation.
Against SMU, the Roadrunners made 12 of their 28 three-point attempts, including a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to secure the win for UTSA.
“Maybe if the cooperated with us and only made eight, three-pointers instead of 12 we could’ve found a way to get it done,” Lanier said. “We needed to make some plays on defense and we didn’t do a good job closing out possessions.”
Now, the Mustangs have to find a way to close out the season on a high note. Their final two games of the season will both be broadcast on ESPN+ and on KAAM 770 AM in the Dallas area.
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