18 November 2001

Men's Basketball

USNA Midshipmen (64) vs. SMU Mustangs (81)

DALLAS (SMU) -- The SMU Mustangs topped Navy, 81-64, on Sunday, Nov. 18, to move to 2-0 on the season.

After a tightly-contested first half, the Ponies pulled away midway through the second half and cruised to the 17-point win.  SMU's tandem of Damon Hancock and Quinton Ross again dominated play, as the duo combined to score 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting.  The Mustang freshmen were also strong, as the quartet of Patrick Simpson,  Brian Miller, Justin Isham and Eric Castro combined to score 29 points.  Simpson was particularly outstanding in his second start, netting 12 points, hauling in four boards, blocking four shots and grabbing two steals.

Coming off the bench, Miller provided SMU with a long-range threat, draining two of three three-point tries en route to seven points in 11 minutes of play.  I though we played relatively well," said SMU Head Coach Mike Dement after the game. "Navy really gets after you defensively and that should prepare us well for our game against Texas Tech."