The Cougars return to Hofheinz Pavilion Saturday afternoon looking to end their four-game skid. | Ajani Stewart/The Cougar

It’s a busy weekend for Cougar athletics with five teams in play now that the spring semester has started.

In addition to the track and split-squad swim meets happening, the men’s and women’s basketball and tennis teams all seeing action.

Men’s Basketball

After dropping a heartbreaker to Memphis University 70-67 (OT) at home Thursday night, the Cougars travel to Dallas to face-off against in-state rival Southern Methodist University.

The Cougars (13-6, 4-3) take on a Mustang (15-4, 5-1) team that is currently second in the American Athletic Conference and receiving votes in the national polls.

The matchup features two of the top offenses in the AAC as Houston (75.3) and SMU (72.8) rank third and fourth respectively in points per game.

The Cougars are led by redshirt junior Rob Gray Jr. who leads the conference with 20.8 points per game. Senior guard Damyean Dotson is one of the top shooters in the conference, ranking second in three-point shooting percentage and second in three-pointers made per game.

The points won’t come easy as the Mustangs bring one of the top defenses in the AAC, ranking second at 59.7 points per game. Additionally, SMU is a menace on the glass topping the AAC in defensive rebounding and ranking second in offensive boards.

Women’s Basketball

Coming off a tough 69-57 loss to Temple University Wednesday night, the Cougars return for their second straight at Hofheinz Pavilion as they host SMU Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars (8-10, 1-4) welcome a Mustang (10-8, 1-4) team that has lost four straight, falling 67-65 to the University of Cincinnati Tuesday night.

The Cougars are led offensively by freshman guard Jasmyne Harris, who is averaging 10.3 points per game coming off the bench. The Freeport native is shooting a team-high 36.8 percent on three-pointers and is second with 108 rebounds.

Freshman guard Angela Harris has stepped up her game in AAC play, scoring in double-digits in three straight and brining her season average to 9.1 points per game.

SMU posts a defense that is giving up only 60.3 points per game and ranks first in the AAC with 6.1 blocks per game.

Tennis

Heading into their first competition of the new year, the Cougars play host to the University of Texas at Arlington and Prairie View A&M University at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility Saturday.

Featuring three upperclassmen and four freshmen, the team looks to build upon a fall season that saw three singles competitors and one doubles team advance at the ITA Texas Regionals in October.

After an impressive 6-0 start in singles, freshman Tsveta Dimitrova will look to get back to the court after falling in the round of 64 in the ITA Texas Regionals.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Weekend preview: basketball clashes with Mustangs, tennis opens season” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar