BERKELEY, Calif. — A furious second-half rally wasn’t enough to carry SMU past Cal on Tuesday night, as the Mustangs dropped a 73-69 decision at Haas Pavilion in a pivotal ACC matchup.
SMU (19-9, 8-7 ACC) entered the night ranked No. 30 in the NCAA NET, facing a Quad 1 road test against Cal (20-8, 8-7 ACC). Despite controlling several statistical categories, the Mustangs couldn’t overcome late turnovers and timely shooting from the Golden Bears.
Head coach Andy Enfield, now 43-20 in his second season at SMU, saw his team produce three significant runs — including a 9-0 surge capped by Corey Washington that gave SMU a 67-64 lead with under two minutes to play. But Cal answered in the closing stretch to seal it.
Balanced Attack Continues
Four Mustangs scored in double figures — a familiar formula this season.
- Boopie Miller led the way with 15 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 35 consecutive games — the longest by a Mustang since 2000. He also added four assists and six rebounds.
- Corey Washington matched Miller with 15 points and added nine rebounds, drilling three 3-pointers.
- Jaron Pierre Jr. finished with 14 points, pushing his career total to 2,077 — fifth among active Division I scorers entering the night.
- Samet Yigitoglu contributed 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
SMU has now had at least four players score 10 or more points in 25 of 28 games this season.
Numbers Tell a Different Story
Statistically, SMU did plenty to win.
The Mustangs shot 45.5% from the field and dominated the glass 44-33. They outscored Cal 32-24 in the paint and held a 16-6 advantage in second-chance points. Fastbreak production remained steady as well, reaching double figures for the sixth straight game.
However, Cal capitalized on ball security. The Bears committed just eight turnovers compared to SMU’s 14 and finished with 17 assists on 26 made baskets.
Key Moments
SMU used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to seize a 50-45 lead. Later, Washington’s individual 9-0 burst gave the Mustangs their final advantage. The team has now recorded 22 runs of 10-0 or better this season and is 12-3 in games when doing so — though Tuesday marked an exception.
B.J. Edwards, limited to 16 minutes due to injury, added five points, four rebounds and three assists.
What’s Next
SMU remains on the West Coast for a Saturday matchup at Stanford before returning home to face Miami on March 4 at Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs close the regular season at Florida State on March 7.
With the ACC standings tightening and NCAA Tournament positioning at stake, SMU’s margin for error continues to shrink.
