SMU Mustangs secured a 99-82 victory over Central Arkansas Bears on Sunday at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. Boopie Miller led with 23 points, while Jaron Pierre Jr. added 21 in the comeback effort. The win improves SMU's record to 10-2, maintaining their unbeaten streak at home.
The SMU Mustangs overcame a halftime scare to defeat the Central Arkansas Bears 99-82 in a non-conference men's basketball game on Sunday at David B. Miller Court at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. SMU, now 10-2 overall and 8-0 at home, shot an impressive 58.8% from the field and made 11 of 33 three-pointers, outscoring UCA by 30 points in the paint.
SMU built a 19-point lead midway through the first half with runs including an 11-0 spurt to go up 21-6 and a 13-0 run to lead 36-17. However, Central Arkansas mounted a comeback, outscoring the Mustangs 30-13 to close the half, trimming the lead to 51-47. Ty Robinson led UCA with a career-high 28 points in the first half alone, including two threes to end the period. Camren Hunter added 19 points and Javion Guy-King 16 for the Bears, who fell to 5-8 and shot 47.5% overall with 12 of 26 from beyond the arc.
In the second half, SMU responded decisively, opening with a 16-4 surge fueled by nine points from Jaron Pierre Jr., including two threes, to rebuild a 17-point advantage capped by a transition dunk from B.J. Edwards. The Mustangs maintained double-digit leads thereafter, recording three runs of at least 10-0 points in the game. Boopie Miller scored 23 points in his 20th straight double-figure outing, Pierre Jr. tallied 21 with four threes, Samet Yigitoglu notched 14 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting plus 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists for his third double-double of the season, and Edwards contributed 17 points.
SMU's balanced attack featured 26 assists on 40 made field goals and nine steals, while dominating rebounds 39-25 and points in the paint 56-26. The Mustangs, under coach Andy Enfield, have now won 10 straight regular-season non-conference home games. They host Cal State Fullerton next on December 28.
