AAC Basketball: Milton, Ojeleye torch UConn as SMU earns the win

Jan 19, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies center Amida Brimah (35) rebounds the ball from Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Sterling Brown (3) and Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Jarrey Foster (10) in the first half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports /

SMU piled on points during a 26-5 run in first half to cruise to an AAC basketball victory and stay close in the conference race.

Big nights from both Shake Milton and Semi Ojeleye guided the SMU Mustangs to a 69-49 AAC victory on Thursday night versus UConn. Milton scored a season-high 23 points, including 12 in the first half alone. He shot 8-of-16 from the field overall and drilled 5-of-9 three-pointers for the game.

The sophomore guard’s 12 points came at a crucial time when the Mustangs went on a 26-5 run in the final 10:41 of the first half. Milton scored seven of those 12 first half points in the last nine minutes of the period.

Meanwhile, Ojeleye posted 17 points, including eight in the first half.

UConn struggled to score in the opening period while SMU was adding on the points. The Huskies shot 22 percent (6-of-27) from the field during the first half.

Sophomore guard Jalen Adams had a rough night shooting the ball. He went 0-of-6 in the first half as he finished 1-of-10 shooting from the field with just three points. Vance Jackson had the best night for UConn, scoring 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting. All five field goals were beyond the three-point arc. Kentan Facey scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Huskies, giving him a double-double.

UConn was plagued by turnovers, which translated into SMU points. UConn had 16 turnovers, which would turn into 18 Mustang points. Ben Moore had three steals in the game for SMU. Additionally, the senior forward had a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

UConn drops to 2-4 in conference play and 7-11 overall. The Huskies looked like they were starting to work things out after wins against UCF and Temple. However, this loss drops them another game behind the front-loaded top four teams of Cincinnati, SMU, UCF and Tulsa. They head home for a Sunday game against East Carolina.

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SMU is now 6-1 in conference play and 16-4 overall. Meanwhile, the Mustangs face a tough test this Saturday when they take on Houston at home.