Sophomore guard Jimmy Whitt contributed 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals to help Southern Methodist notch its 29th consecutive home win with a 79-66 nonconference victory over New Orleans on Wednesday at Dallas, Texas.

Freshman forward Ethan Chargois had 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots for the Mustangs (8-3), who are 7-0 at Moody Coliseum this season. Junior guard Jarrey Foster scored 14 points and senior guard Ben Emegolu II added 13.

Sophomore guard Bryson Robinson scored 16 points and senior forward Travin Thibodeaux added 15 for New Orleans (2-6). Junior guard Ezekiel Charles added 14 points and made four of the Privateers' eight 3-point baskets.

SMU never trailed in the contest but had to fight off a New Orleans rush in the second half.

The Mustangs held a 59-45 lead after Whitt's three-point play with 14:44 to play but New Orleans went on an 11-2 surge and pulled within five on a 3-pointer by Charles with 12:15 remaining.

Whitt converted another three-point play to start an 8-0 burst as SMU quickly pushed the lead back up to 13 and finished off the victory.

SMU shot 59.3 percent from the field in the first half -- including 7 of 14 3-point attempts -- to hold a 44-34 lead at the break.

Junior guard Shake Milton and Foster drained 3-pointers to cap a 14-4 run and give the Mustangs a 26-14 lead with 11:44 remaining in the first half.

New Orleans trimmed its deficit to 39-34 with under two minutes left in the half before Foster culminated a half-ending run with a 3-pointer to get the margin back to 10.