Boopie Miller scored 17 of his game-leading 20 points in the first half to set the tone, and SMU cruised to a 102-73 nonconference victory over Florida A&M on Thursday night in Dallas.
Yohan Traore posted 19 points and 10 rebounds for SMU, which improved to 2-0 in its first season under coach Andy Enfield and in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Miller, a junior guard who transferred from Wake Forest, also had nine rebounds and nine assists.
Chuck Harris added 15 points for the Mustangs. B.J. Edwards finished with 13, and Keon Ambrose-Hylton had 10.
Florida A&M was led by Sterling Young’s 15 points. Jordan Chatman (13 points) and Milton Matthews (10 points) also finished in double figures. The Rattlers are off to an 0-2 start as they lost to TCU on Monday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Florida A&M got off to a promising start on Thursday, knocking down three 3-pointers in the first four minutes. The Rattlers led 11-8 lead after Young’s trey at the 16:25 mark.
However, the Mustangs eventually hit their stride, going on a 24-2 run midway through the opening half. They capped the run with a 3-pointer by Miller that extended the lead to 40-19 with 4:34 to go before the break.
SMU led 51-29 at halftime as it shot 58.1 percent from the field compared to Florida A&M’s 25.8 percent. The Mustangs kept it in cruise control in the second half, finishing the night by making 53 percent of their shots from the field to the Rattlers’ 36.1 percent.
SMU also won the rebounding battle 45-34 and had a 32-11 edge in fastbreak points.
Next up for the Mustangs is another home game against UNC Greensboro on Monday.
Florida A&M continues its travels by visiting Maryland on Monday.
Thursday marked the first meeting between the programs.
–Field Level Media
