SMU Women's Basketball opens season vs. UC Riverside

SMU vs. UC Riverside 
Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
Wednesday, November 6, 2023 – 4:00 p.m. CT
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OPENING TIP
SMU faces UC Riverside on Monday to kick off the third season under Head Coach Toyelle Wilson. 
Tip off is set for 4 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. The action can be seen on ESPN+, with live stats accessible at SMUMustangs.com. Monday’s matchup marks the second meeting between the two programs and the first since 2017. 

THE MATCH-UP
SMU won the lone matchup between the Mustangs and Highlanders, a 73-51 victory in the Nugget Classic on Nov. 24, 2017, in Reno, Nevada. 

LAST MEETING
SMU 73, UC Riverside 51 I 11/24/17
DALLAS (SMU)- The Mustangs started fast in its first game of the Nugget Classic and coasted to a 73-51 victory against UC Riverside.

A 17-0 run early in the first quarter helped SMU open up a 24-7 lead, and the Mustangs never faltered from there. Riverside was never able to truly get back in the contest as SMU’s lead never shrank to smaller than seven points in the second half.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside finished with a 6-26 overall record during the 2022-23 season. 
The Highlanders were 3-17 in the Big West conference. 
UC Riverside was picked 10th in the 2023-24 Big West Preseason Poll. 

RECAPPING THE 2022-23 SEASON
SMU finished the 2022-23 season with a 17-13 record.  
SMU went 13-2 in Moody Coliseum, including a program-record 10-game home winning streak. Savannah Wilkinson, Jasmine Smith and Ella Brow each earned All-American Athletic Conference honors. 
The Mustangs made the WNIT for the second straight season, earning a postseason bid in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015. 
The Mustangs ranked second in scoring defense in the AAC, holding opponents to only 58.3 points per game. 
Three different Mustangs finished in the top 10 in the league in four separate individual categories.

BACK-TO-BACK POSTSEASON APPEARANCES 
SMU made the WNIT for the second consecutive season under Head Coach Toyelle Wilson. 
The Mustangs made the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2014 and 2015. The 2022-23 season marked the third postseason appearance in seven seasons. 
SMU defeated Little Rock 68-42 in the first round of the WNIT in Moody Coliseum.

MOODY MAGIC
SMU finished 13-2 in Moody Coliseum, including a 10-0 start at home- breaking the program’s best start to open a season (2004-05) and best home winning streak (1999-00, final nine games). 

STARTING STRONG UNDER WILSON
SMU has won its season opener the past two seasons. 

HOME COOKING
The Mustangs outscored their opponents 67.1-52.4 at Moody Coliseum, shooting 44.1% to opponents’ 34.2% last season.  
In rebounding action, SMU owned the 40.9-32.2 advantage.
The Mustangs averaged 4.7 more assists than their opponents at Moody Coliseum.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
SMU allowed 58.3 ppg, ranking second in the AAC and 41st in the nation. 
The Mustangs owned a 15-4 record when holding opponents below 60 points.
Oklahoma (97-74), Wichita State (73-65) and Temple (68-62) were the only teams to surpass its scoring average against SMU in regulation. ECU scored 66 in the Mustangs’ overtime win, surpassing last season’s average of 62.4 and Memphis scored 69 points in overtime, surpassing its average of 68.1. 
SMU’s three losses when holding a team below 40% occurred at Baylor, Tulane and against Houston in the AAC Quarterfinal.

RETURNERS AAC AWARDS 
Ella Brow was named the AAC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 16  after wins against Cincinnati and ECU.
Chantae Embry was a five-time AAC Weekly Honor Roll selection last season (2/13, 1/24, 1/16, 1/2, 11/14).
Jessica Peterson earned a spot on the final 2022-23 Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in her career on March 2. 

INSIDE LAST SEASON’S NUMBERS
The Mustangs were 15-5 when outrebounding their opponents last season.
SMU finished the year outscoring its foes in the paint in 22 of the last 30 games, winning 17.
SMU was 14-1 when recording more assists than its opponent.
SMU scored more bench points than its opponents 12 times last season. 

SHOOTING STARS
SMU owned a 14-3 mark when outshooting its opponents last season.
The Mustangs were 12-4 when hitting at least 40% from the field.
SMU was 16-2 when holding opponents at 39.9% or less. 

ELLA READY TO MAKE THE JUMP
Brow was named to the AAC All-Freshman team after an impressive rookie season. 
Brow finished last season ranked 14th in assists per game in the AAC, averaging 2.72 per game.
Brow played in 25 games last season, making 10 starts. She averaged 4.6 points, 2.72 assists, and 22.4 minutes. 

BREAKOUT YEAR FROM EMBRY
Chantae Embry owned four of the Mustangs’ seven 20-point games last season (20 at OU, 20 at Oral Roberts, 20 vs. ECU, 21 vs. Houston) 
Embry started 28 games and averaged 11.6 points (20th AAC), 6.2 rebounds (11th AAC) per game, while shooting 48.3% from the field and 75.5% at the free throw line. 
She recorded five double-doubles on the year.

BRADLEY LEAVING HER MARK
Guard Reagan Bradley returns for her fifth season on the Hilltop. Bradley sits at eighth all-time SMU’s all-time assists list with 318. 
Bradley started 26 games last season, averaging, 8.7 points, 3.1 assists (8th AAC), and three rebounds while playing 30.2 minutes per game.
Bradley has started 85 and played in 91 games at SMU entering the 2023-24 season. 
SMU Career Assists
489 Suzanne McAnally 1989-92
481 Kendall Shead 2003-06
462 Karen Blair 1995-99
435 Brittany Gilliam 2006-10
368 Missy Parker 1990-93
327 Tomi Hollis 1983-86
319 Alisha Filmore 2009-13
318 Reagan Bradley 2019-23 

NO PRESSURE, NO DIAMONDS
The Mustangs 11-game non-conference gauntlet features eight games in Moody Coliseum. 
SMU will navigate a tough non-conference schedule, featuring games against No. 19 Baylor, and 20th-ranked Colorado along with a matchup with Toledo who is receiving votes after a run to the quarterfinals of the WNIT last season.

WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP
SMU welcomes two freshman and two transfers to the Hilltop for the 2023-24 season. 
Tiara Young I G I GR I Shreveport, La./Houston
2022-23 (Senior at Houston): Appeared in 30 games, starting one game on Senior Night against Wichita State (Mar. 1)… Finished 17 games with 10 or more points and led the Cougars in scoring in 10 games…Led the team in free throws made (85), while finishing second in points (361), field goals made (136), and assists (51)… Recorded several career-highs in her senior season including a 26-point performance in the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal against Wichita State (Mar. 8)… Unanimously American Athletic Conference Sixth Player of the Year… Dave Campbell’s Texas Basketball Sixth Woman of the Yea

Maya Chandler I G I SR I Martinsville, Ind./Loyola Chicago
2022-23 (Junior at Loyola Chicago): Started 23 games and appeared in 30… Led the Ramblers in scoring with 10.7 points per game… Averaged three rebounds per game… Totaled 34 assists and 31 steals… Shot 82.6% from the charity stripe.

Aaliyah Henderson I G I FR I Norman, Okla. 
High School: Henderson, a three-year letterwinner for Norman High School ranks in the top-five in Oklahoma for the class of 2022 at the point-guard position. She earned two All-Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Selections, including first team in 2022. Her team won the 2021 Oklahoma 6A State Title after qualifying for the state tournament the previous year, before it was canceled due to COVID-19. Her other accolades include Joe Lawson All Tournament First Team, Bruce Gray Invitational All Tournament MVP, 56th Annual Tournament of Champions All-Tournament First Team, Big All City Second Team, The Oklahoman Super 5 Honorable Mention, a two-time All-Oklahoma Honorable mention. In the classroom, Henderson entered her senior campaign for accuracy.

Shanel Reid I G I FR I Austin Texas
High School: A three-year letterwinner for Austin High School earned All-Texas First Team Honors twice, an All-Texas Academic First Team Accolade, All-Region First Team in 2021-22, All-District First Team Selection and 2019-20 district newcomer of the year and offensive MVP.

PRESEASON PROWESS
SMU was predicted to finish fourth in the AAC standings in 2023-24 Preseason Poll behind league front-runners USF, ECU, and Rice. 

Editor’s Note: SMU press release.