Box Score DALLAS – SMU strung together a 19-7 run over the final 9:35 of the first half and took away McNeese's ability to rebound the basketball as the Mustangs posted a 91-59 win over the Cowboys here Thursday night for the first of three straight road games for McNeese.
 
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for McNeese (2-4) while SMU (5-3) won for the third straight time.
 
McNeese trailed 40-24 at the half and was never able to post a run in the second 20 minutes to try to get back into the game. A switch to the zone by SMU seemed to be the culprit in the Cowboys' lack of execution.
 
"They went to a zone," said head coach Heath Schroyer. "We worked on the zone the last three days and they just hurt us with it. They took our post game away with it and when that happened, our floor balance defensively was hurt and it got out to transition baskets."
 
SMU scored 22 fast break points on the night while outscoring the Cowboys by a 44-28 margin in the paint.
 
"I'm very disappointed in our lack of execution," said Schroyer. "We're a team right now that has to defend and rebound at a high level, and when we didn't score for a while, they got out in transition and scored some points."
 
James Harvey led the Cowboys with 16 points while Roydell Brown added 13. Brown, who is ranked 15^th in the nation in rebounding, was held to a season-low two boards while the Cowboys as a team, managed just 23 rebounds and only seven on the offensive glass.
 
Four Mustangs scored in double-figures, led by Jahmal Mcmnurray's 19 points. Isiaha Mike scored 18 and Ethan Chargois had 11. Jimmy Whitt Jr. recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
 
The game was a back-and-forth affair for the first 10 minutes as the Cowboys hung tough with a quick defense and good aim on the offensive end.
 
McNeese hit its first four shots of the game and trailed just 23-19 midway through the half before the Mustangs scored 14 straight while holding McNeese scoreless over a 4-minute span to open up a 38-19 lead with 2:09 to play in the half.
 
SMU opened the second half on a 14-4 run in the first five minutes. McNeese called a timeout and sat the starters for most of the rest of the game.
 
"I challenged the starters at halftime and they didn't meet the challenge," said Schroyer. "This program is going to be built with guys with a certain level of passion and ability to execute. And when you don't want to do that, you can sit and watch."
 
The Cowboys will fly out to North Carolina on Friday morning for a Saturday afternoon tip against North Carolina Central.