WATCH: NCAA Opponents Create Chaos for Loose Ball at Memphis vs SMU, Face Consequences

The Tigers kept pouncing on but the Mustangs didn’t fall short on their run. The audience saw a close back-and-forth matchup on Thursday night as the Mustangs thrashed the Tigers in a 91-86 double-overtime win. However, something startling happened between Alasia Smith and Amirah Abdur-Rahim that caught everybody’s attention.

Notably, the pressure of March Madness approaching with days has started to weigh in on players as the competition is getting very real. An example of it was seen in a recent encounter between the Tigers and the Mustangs.

The momentary lapse

Thursday night’s double OT surprised everyone as SMU’s Amirah Abdur-Rahim got caught in a heated moment with the Tigers’ Alasia Smith. It happened in the double overtime when they both tried to hog the ball just after Alasia Smith’s missed free throw shot.

Eventually, the teammates of both players and the officials intervened and instructed both to sit on the bench. Notably, Rahim and Smith are key players on their respective teams, however, this little puff-up was not expected from them. As a result, they were out of court. As for Rahim, it seemed frustrating as moments after being benched she stood up and walked straight out of the Arena.

This season Rahim has been averaging 10.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. Along with that, she has also been shooting with a field goal percentage of 48.7%. Meanwhile, Alasia Smith has been averaging 9.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game with a field goal shooting percentage of  44.8%.

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As the Mustangs took the wagon this time, now let’s see how the two teams have been performing this season.

The season’s scoreboard

Treading competitively so far, the SMU Mustangs have a record of 7-7. This record has earned them 10th rank in the American Athletic Conference. On the other hand, the Memphis Tigers have been going through a challenging one.

Presently, Memphis holds a record of 4-10, earning them 12th rank in the American Athletic Conference, just two ranks down from Mustangs.

Last season, the Tigers finished with a record of 22-11, 11-4 in the AAC play, finishing in the 2nd position. Also, they defeated #10 UCF in the AAC Tournament quarterfinals, where they played as the #2 seed. However, later they were defeated by the #3 seed East Carolina in the semifinals.

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With such moments hovering to recur among teams, it seems that the season is transitioning into a fierce competitive spirit.