Box Score RICHARSON, TX - A 28-8 run midway through Thursday night's American Southwest Conference men's basketball game between UT Dallas and Texas Lutheran University led the way to an 83-69 victory for the nationally-ranked Comets.

With several starters in early foul trouble, the UTD bench came up big with junior Scott Rodgers leading the way with a season-high 23-point night. In addition, freshman reserve Chris Barnes had 10 points and six rebounds in a 24-minute night.

Brandon Greene hit three 3-point shots on his way to 15 points and Jimmy Witten came close to a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Comets (11-1, 6-1) were in a battle early with the fiesty Bulldogs (2-8, 2-5), who knotted the score at 15-15 and would not let UTD get more than a seven-point lead for the first 17:18 of the game. But UTD got baskets from Rodgers and Barnes to close out the half with an 8-4 run and led, 42-31, at intermission.

The Comets stretched the lead back out to 46-31 with two quick buckets, then went up 52-35 with 16:29 on the clock. TLU continued to chip back and got to within 11 points three times, but Barnes and Rodgers answered quickly each time  to keep the lead at double digits. UTD had its biggest lead of the game at 18 points (81-63) with ust 1:48 left on the clock.

UTD shot an impressive 48.4 percent from the field and was 6-of-15 from beyond the arch. The biggest difference in the game was on the defensive end, where UTD out-rebounded TLU, 46-26, and forced 12 Bulldog turnovers.

The game was the first of five consecutive ASC home games for the 24th-ranked Comets, who return to the UTD Activity Center on Saturday to host Schreiner University.

BOXSCORE