PALM DESERT, Calif. — Boopie Miller scored 16 points, Samet Yigitoglu added 12 points and 11 rebounds and SMU pulled away late to beat Washington State 77-60 Wednesday night in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational title game.
Chuck Harris added 14 points, B.J. Edwards 13 points and Kario Oquendo 11 for the Mustangs (6-2), who shot 42% — 50% in the second half — and dominated the boards 51-25 with Matt Cross pulling down 10 to go with seven points. SMU had 22 offensive rebounds, outscoring the Cougars 21-6 on second-chance points and 44-18 in the paint.
Nate Calmese scored 15 points and Ethan Price and LeJuan Watts 12 each for the Cougars (6-2), who put up 33 3-pointers, making 10, and shot 37% overall. They had a season-low eight turnovers but with their challenges inside, half of their points came from beyond the arc. They had a three-game win streak snapped.
WSU led 31-27 at halftime and matched its largest lead of seven on Price's 3-pointer to open the second half. SMU took the lead for good at 43-42 and a 10-0 run with six points from Yigitoglu increased the lead to 16 with a couple minutes to go.
The Cougs were without Cedric Coward for the second straight contest.
WSU will head to Reno to face Nevada on Monday. Tip off is set for 7 pm.
