SMU Women's Basketball opens with third straight win, beats Nicholls

DALLAS (SMU)- Using Tiara Young’s 24 points and seven rebounds, the SMU women’s basketball team defeated Nicholls 69-54 on Tuesday afternoon in Moody Coliseum.

SMU (3-0) used a dominant second half to pick up its third straight victory. The Mustangs are 3-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Mustang defense shined, holding Nicholls to 39% shooting on the day. The Mustangs forced 20 turnovers and outscored the Colonels 23-4 in transition.  

Amirah Abdur-Rahim turned in her second double-digit scoring performance, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Reagan Bradley scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, and passed out three assists. Tamia Jones finished with a season-high 14 points, tied her career-high with eight assists, and added four steals. 

TK Pitts grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and added four points and a pair of steals, while Chantae Embry chipped in three points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. 

Jones hit a three-pointer, and Young nailed a jump shot in transition to counter eight unanswered from Nicholls to begin the final quarter. A Young driving layup, a free throw, and five straight points from Jones, including a three-pointer and two free throws after she was fouled on the drive, put the Mustangs on a 6-0 run and extended the lead to 67-48. SMU finished the game hitting its last four shots from the field.

The Mustangs dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Colonels 25-8. SMU started the second half on a 6-0 run after an Embry steal led to a Young layup, earning her sixth straight point and forcing a Nicholls timeout. Jones dished it to Abdur-Rahim for a bucket after SMU forced its fourth turnover of the quarter to put the Mustangs ahead 31-26. Bradley scored back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to seven. Jones finished on a drive that put the Mustangs up 39-30. Young made a transition layup to extend the lead to 11. Young reached 1000 career points with a driving bucket to extend SMU’s lead to 12. Pitts knocked down a pair of free throws to take the Mustangs into the fourth up 14.

Abdur-Rahim scored three straight layups to get the Mustangs going in the second. Young knocked down a jumper and finished a layup through traffic to continue the run. An Embry three-pointer gave SMU a 21-18 lead and countered five unanswered from the Colonels. Nicholls closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 26-23 at the half.

Jump shots from Young and Bradley got the scoring started for the Mustangs. Nicholls closed the quarter with four unanswered to lead 11-7. 

NEXT GAME
vs. No. 5 Colorado– Saturday, Nov. 18 – 8 p.m. CT – Moody Coliseum
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KAAM 770 AM | Audio Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)

NOTES
Starters vs Nicholls: #0 Tamia Jones, #13 Reagan Bradley, #1 Tiara Young, #33 Chantae Embry, #23 Amirah Abdur-Rahim.  

• Third time with this starting lineup in 2023-24, 3-0 record with this lineup.
• SMU started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season. 
• SMU out shot Nicholls 42.9-39% from the field.  
• SMU out rebounded the Colonels 37-34. 
• SMU forced 20 turnovers and outscored the Colonels 23-4 in transition. 
• SMU recorded four more blocks, steals and assists than the Colonels. 

SERIES HISTORY
SMU moved to 2-0 all-time against Nicholls. SMU won the previous matchup against the Colonels, a 68-61 victory on Nov. 11, 2017.  
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Tiara Young turned in a season-high 24 points and earned her 1000th career point. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Amirah Abdur-Rahim (#23, Sr., F)

• 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
• Scored double-digit points for the second consecutive game

Tiara Young (#1 Gr., G)

• 24 points, 7 rebounds
• Grabbed a season-high seven rebounds 
• Scored a season-high 24 points
• Turned in double-digit points for the third consecutive game

Reagan Bradley (#13, GR., G)

• 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
• Tied a season-high three rebounds 
• Finished with double-digit points for the second time this season

Tamia Jones (#0, Sr., G)

• 14 points, 8 assists, 4 steals
• Scored a season-high 14 points
• Tied a career-high eight assists
• Finished with double-digit points for the second time this season

TK Pitts (#2, So., G)

• 4 points, 10 rebounds, two steals
• Grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds
• Tallied a career-high two steals

Chantae Embry (#33, Jr., F)

• 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
• Tied a career-high three steals

SMU release.