BROWNWOOD, TX (02.25.17) - In a rematch of the league's 2013 title game, the UT Dallas women's basketball team claimed its third American Southwest Conference championship in five seasons with a 67-60 win over Louisiana College Saturday night at the Brownwood Coliseum.

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With the win, the Comets (25-3) are now riding a school-record 12 game-winning streak and have earned the ASC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Tournament, starting next week. UTD will learn when and where it will open the national tournament at 1:30 p.m. Monday, via the selection show at www.ncaa.com.

"It wasn't pretty, but we won the battles we need to win tonight," said UTD head coach Polly Thomason, whose team had to battle the entire game while shooting just 36.7 percent from the field.  "Louisiana College played an awesome tournament and played us tough. We made the shots we needed to make, just like we have done all year."

UTD never trailed in its third-ever trip to the ASC title game, but the Comets had to hold off several charges by a Louisiana College squad that knocked off both West Division champion Howard Payne and East Division runner-up Texas-Tyler on the Wildcats' path to Saturday's contest. The Comets built a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, but spent most of the game trying to hold the Lady Wildcats at bay. A defensive effort that limited LC to just 25-of-61 shooting aided the cause.

Freshman Victoria Pena finished the night with a game-high 19 points, hitting a number of key baskets that included four three-pointers. Senior Alyssa Crockett, who was named the event's Most Valuable Player, added 15 points. Crockett was joined on the All-Tournament team by fellow Comet seniors Micaela Gonzalez and Kayla Reinhart

"We fought every game in the tournament and we knew LC wouldn't go down without a fight tonight," said Crockett after the game with the championship net around her neck. "We got six more games to win, so tune in."

The Comets overcame just 36.7 percent shooting from the field by holding a 22nd opponent this season to 60 points or less. UTD out-rebounded the Wildcats, 42-36, and forced 17 turnovers.

UTD jumped out to an early 10-2 lead on the Wildcats and held the lead until LC's Brooke Comeaux knotted the game, 14-14, with a pair of free throws with just under two minutes left in the opening quarter. The Comets responded with four straight points to end the frame and a second-quarter-opening three-pointer by Pena to regain a seven-point advantage, 21-14, with 8:47 remaining in the opening half. UTD led by as many as nine points in the second quarter before grabbing a 33-26 lead at the break.

The Comets' first double-digit lead of the night came on UTD's first field goal of the second half when Pena drained another three-pointer to lift the Comets to a 36-26 lead early in the third period. UTD led by no fewer than six points in the third quarter and would take a 48-41 lead over the Wildcats into the final frame.

LC made a surge early in the fourth period, cutting the Comet lead down to just three points, 50-47, on a Rachel Johnson three-pointer with 8:00 left to play, but UTD answered with back-to-back lay ups by Megan Badejo and Reinhart to extend its lead back to seven points less than a minute later. The Comets stretched their lead back to double digits with just under four minutes remaining before LC used a 7-2 run in the final moments to cut the lead back to five points. UTD would hit 4-of-6 free throws in the final 23 seconds to ice the victory.