DALLAS — On Saturday, Kario Oquendo led the way with 21 points as SMU achieved a 63-51 victory against Virginia, not allowing a single field goal from the Cavaliers in the final ten minutes of the match. This game marked the Mustangs’ inaugural conference contest in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

At halftime, SMU was clinging to a slim two-point advantage. Virginia briefly took control when Isaac McKneely made a four-point play and followed it up with a 3-pointer, putting the Cavaliers ahead 45-38 with just over ten minutes remaining. However, they were unable to score again for the remainder of the game.

Virginia missed their last nine shooting attempts, despite being only three points down with 2.5 minutes left in the contest. During this critical period, they failed to convert on three shots and did not get to the free-throw line, suffering three turnovers that prevented any scoring.

For SMU, Samet Yigitoglu contributed significantly with 16 points, while Matt Cross stood out on the boards with ten rebounds. McKneely was the sole bright spot for Virginia, ending the night with 17 points.

Chuck Harris scored a 3-pointer, giving SMU a 28-19 lead with 5:30 to go in the first half. Virginia rebounded by making three 3-pointers in four attempts, narrowing the gap to just two points by halftime, 30-28. Yigitoglu was instrumental in the first half, shooting 6 of 7 from the field and notching 14 points.

This victory improved SMU’s record to 8-2 under the leadership of their first-year coach, Andy Enfield.