Mustangs' Late Surge Not Enough to Overcome Bulls at Yuengling Center

The Southern Methodist University Mustangs faced a challenging contest against the South Florida Bulls, culminating in a 61-70 defeat. The Mustangs now stand with an overall record of 0-1, while the Bulls have kicked off their season with a 1-0 start.

The game was held at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, where both teams battled fiercely across four quarters. The Mustangs started slowly, scoring only 11 points in the first quarter and trailing by one point as the Bulls put up 12. The second quarter saw an increased effort from SMU but they were outpaced by USF's aggressive play which resulted in a seven-point deficit for SMU by halftime.

Despite being behind, SMU showed resilience and determination throughout the match. They managed to score 23 points in the final quarter, their highest-scoring period of the game. However, this late surge was not enough to bridge the gap created earlier on as USF maintained their lead with consistent scoring across all quarters.

SMU's offense was led by their field goal shooting at a rate of 39 percent from both two-point and three-point range. Their three-point shooting was particularly notable at an impressive rate of 42 percent accuracy. Free throws were another story though; SMU made only 63 percent of shots from the line which may have cost them valuable points.

On defense, steals were a highlight for SMU with eight takeaways contributing to ten points off turnovers. However, they struggled on rebounds against USF's more dominant presence under both baskets; total rebounds ended at twenty-eight for SMU compared to forty-one for USF.

USF capitalized on fast breaks and scored thirteen fast break points while also making good use of their possessions inside paint where they scored thirty points. Their field goal percentage stood higher than that of SMU's at forty-eight percent overall and forty-nine percent for two-points attempts specifically.

Looking ahead after this tough loss, fans can mark their calendars for when Southern Methodist University Mustangs will face off against Florida Atlantic Owls next year on January fourth at Moody Coliseum located in Dallas Texas ZIP code:75205 . This home game is scheduled to start at eight o'clock PM Eastern Time Zone and supporters can catch all action live as it unfolds.