McNeese Cowboys at SMU Mustangs

SMU dominates McNeese State for 88-59 win

Moore, a sophomore playing his first season for SMU (7-2) after transferring from Illinois State, didn't shoot again, hitting five of six overall, and scored a team-high 15 points.

The visiting Cowboys (2-6) were led by Ledrick Eackles, son of former NBA veteran Ledell Eackles, with 21 points.

McNeese State, which came in averaging 23 3-point attempts per game, went 10 for 34 behind the arc and hit 20 of 61 field-goal attempts to shoot 32.8 percent.

Second-year Mustangs coach Larry Brown has often expressed his distaste for the 3-point shot despite the fact that he began his pro career in the American Basketball Association, which touted the shot as one of its selling points in competition with the established NBA.

Moore opened the scoring with a 3-pointer as SMU burst from the gate to a 15-5 lead. He added three more during a 15-0 Mustangs run that left the hosts with a 30-7 lead with 8:21 to play before halftime. SMU continued to connect from both long distance and from close range to take a 52-17 lead at intermission, which would equal its largest of the game.

The Mustangs out-rebounded the Cowboys 42-25 and outscored them in the paint 34-14. The inside-outcome combination allowed SMU to shoot 59.6 percent.

The wide margin of SMU's advantage enabled Mustangs freshman reserve Ben Moore to draw guffaws from the bench when he went to initially report in with about six minutes to play in the half to discover he'd forgotten to put on his game jersey. He subsequently earned a cheer from the crowd when he emerged from the dressing room minutes later and raced back to the scorer's table.

The victory was Brown's 199th in nine seasons as a collegiate head coach to go with 1,198 in the NBA, 429 in the ABA and 29 for USA Basketball. He'll aim at No. 200 on Wednesday night when the Mustangs play at Illinois-Chicago.

The game was the fifth of nine consecutive played on either road or neutral courts for the Cowboys.

How can I watch McNeese vs. SMU?

• TV Channel: McNeese at SMU 2021 College Basketball, week 5, is broadcasted on ESPN3.
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