SMU Crushes USF 83-49

After getting a scare from Division II Midwest on Monday night, the SMU Mustangs weren't about to let their next game be any kind of contest.

Ben Moore scored 15 points and Keith Frazier added 14 as the Mustangs clobbered the South Florida Bulls (6-8, 0-1 American) 83-49 on Wednesday. Nic Moore added eight points and seven assists as SMU picked apart the USF defense with crisp ball movement and strong shooting.

SMU (10-3, 1-0 American) took care of this one early. They scored the first seven points of the game and quickly built an insurmountable lead. The Mustangs were up 49-15 at halftime and led by as many as 41 points in the second half before getting Nic Moore and Yanick Moreira out of the game.

USF's foul trouble helped SMU blow the game open. The Mustangs were in the bonus for most of the first half as the Bulls struggled to keep up with SMU's big men and their fluid passing. Chris Perry committed an intentional foul that led to a four-point possession. Not long after, Orlando Antigua picked up a technical foul when Corey Allen was taken down with no call on a fast break and Anthony Collins picked up a ticky-tack foul on the other end. SMU shot 33 free throws for the game compared to USF's 16, and had more points from the line in the first half (16) than USF had points (15).

Chris Perry (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Bo Ziegler (11 points) were bright spots for the Bulls. USF turned the ball over 17 times, and struggled to get shots near the basket until the game was already out of reach. Anthony Collins, Corey Allen, and Nehemias Morillo combined to shoot just 6-for-26, missing all eight of their 3-point attempts.

USF's home conference opener is Saturday night against East Carolina.