Shake Milton came off the bench to score 17 points, sparking SMU to an 85-50 win over Sam Houston State in the season opener for both schools Saturday night.
SMU opened the game with a 9-0 run and held a 21-point lead at the break, 40-19.
Sam Houston State held returning American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Nic Moore to just 8 points, but Ben Moore scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Keith Frazier added 13 points.
SMU shot 63.3 per cent from the field (31 of 49) and 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.
The Bearkats were just 17 of 61 from the field (27.9 per cent) and 6 of 27 from long range (22.2 per cent).
Dakarai Henderson scored 17 points to lead Sam Houston State.
SMU enters the season after posting back-to-back 27-win seasons and winning the AAC regular season and tournament titles a year ago.
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