Box Score TYLER, TX (01.22.09) - The UT Dallas men's basketball team held off UT-Tyler with a strong defensive second half Thursday night, bouncing back from the team's first American Southwest Conference East Division loss of the season with a 60-54 road win.

The 20th-ranked Comets, who improved to 15-2 overall and 10-2 in ASC play, held the Patriots (8-8, 8-3) to just 6-of-17 shooting (35.3 percent) in the second period as they stretched a 34-32 halftime lead to their largest lead of the game with :03 left on the clock. Tyler hit a three-point shot with seconds left to put the game at its final, six-point margin.

Still, neither team seemed poised to run away with this game until UTD stretched out its lead late. Both UTD and UT-Tyler shot less than 60 percent at the free-throw line with each leaving 8 points at the line. UTD survived a second half when it also hit just 9-of-21 from the field (42.9 percent) to claim the win.

In a game that featured eight ties and nine lead changes, the Comets broke open a 45-45 tie with a layup from Scott Rodgers and two Jimmy Witten baskets inside within a two-minute stretch that put the Comets up 51-45 with 6:13 left. Tyler did pull to within four at 54-50 when Witten fouled out with :56 left, but Brandon Greene hit a pair of free throws, then Temaine Wright  came up with a pair of steals in the final :22 seconds. Charles Harris' pair of free throws with :22 left made it a three-possession lead for the Comets.

Witten led UTD with a double-double, scoring 12 points to go along with 12 rebounds as UTD stayed even on the boards at 37-36. Greene also finished with 12 points while Wright pitched in 11 in the low-scoring game.

BOXSCORE