SMU’s quest for a three-game sweep in Andy Enfield’s first homestand as coach continues Monday night, when the Mustangs host UNC Greensboro in Dallas.
SMU (2-0) comes off back-to-back lopsided victories, having beaten Tarleton State 96-62 and Florida A&M 102-73. In those wins, the Mustangs shot 53.5 percent from the floor.
UNCG (1-0) pulled away late from Florida Gulf Coast for a 73-64 win in its season opener last Monday. Though the Spartans led by as many as 17 points in the first half, FGCU tied the contest at 59-59 with 3:54 left in the second. That was promptly answered by an 11-0 run from UNC Greensboro, sealing the Spartans’ victory.
Offensively, the Mustangs are led by Wake Forest transfer Boopie Miller, who has averaged 20.5 points through his first two games with SMU. Donovan Atwell and Kenyon Giles each tallied 17 points in UNCG’s season opener.
SMU surrendered an average of 67.5 points in its first two victories, but the Mustangs also recorded at least 10 steals and forced their opponent into a minimum of 15 turnovers in both contests. Enfield reiterated the importance of quality defense to his team’s identity after beating Florida A&M.
“I think through our preseason, we understand that if we don’t play hard defensively, we’re not very good,” Enfield said. “We have to be active. We have to be disruptive.”
SMU enters the matchup Monday shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc and had 20 assists against Tarleton State and 23 against Florida A&M.
“They’re buying into the team concept,” Enfield said.
For UNCG, team defense was the key down the stretch of its first win, holding FGCU to a scoring drought that spanned 3:25.
“We challenged these guys to get in better shape this season,” Spartans coach Mike Jones said. “We challenged them to be able to separate (themselves) in the last four minutes of the game because you’re tougher mentally and better conditioned. For it to show up in the first game is great.”
–Field Level Media
