SMU has a balanced attack in its win over Tarleton State

Boopie Miller scored 21 points and led six Mustangs in double-digit scoring as SMU cruised to a 96-62 win over Tarleton State in the season opener for both teams on Monday in Dallas.

Midway through the first half, the Mustangs (1-0) took the lead of the game when they went on a 32-3 run that turned a five-point deficit into a 24-point lead. SMU had a 23-point lead at halftime and never let Tarleton State get closer than 21 points after halftime.

Chuck Harris and Kario Oquendo each added 16 points for SMU, with BJ Edwards scoring 13 points, Keon Ambrose-Hylton scoring 12 points and Yohan Traore contributing 10 points.

In Andy Enfield's first game as the program's head coach, SMU shot 54 percent (34-for-63), compared to Tarleton State's 36.7 percent (18-for-49).

Bubu Benjamin led the Texans (0-1) with 21 points while Matt Krass had 10. Tarleton State committed 23 turnovers.

Tarleton State jumped on top, scoring the first five points of the game before the Mustangs could gain a foothold. SMU countered with a 10-0 run nearly four minutes into the contest, capped by a layup from Miller, and the Mustangs were on their way. After Benjamin hit a three-pointer, SMU scored 22 straight points to extend its lead to 32-8 with 10:50 left to play in the first half.

Miller's pullup 3-pointer at 6:24 of the half extended SMU's lead to 30 points. The Texans won the final two minutes when two free throws from Bubu Benjamin and a layup from Izzy Miles, the latter 58 seconds before halftime, allowed Tarleton State to get within 51-28 at the break.

Harris led all scorers with a dozen points before halftime, while Miller added 10 points for the Mustangs. SMU outscored the Texans 58.6 percent to 27.3 percent at halftime and forced 11 turnovers that led to 17 points for the Mustangs.

Benjamin paced Tarleton State with 12 points and made 9 of his 10 free throws in the half.

The Texans cut their deficit to 21 points when Krass hit a second-chance 3-pointer with 16:43 to play. They trailed 67-44 after a Miles layup with 10:06 left before SMU put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run, capped by an AJ George layup with 7:52 left.

–Field level media