Box Score RICHARDSON, TX (02.05.09) - The UT Dallas women's basketball team made program history Thursday night, picking up their 17th win in a season for the first time ever with a 63-55 win over Louisiana College; but not before getting all they could handle from the Lady Wildcats for the second time in the last week.

Louisiana College, which lost a 64-62 game to UTD last weekend, rallied from 17 points down at the half to put a scare in the Comets in the game's final minutes. UTD, which improved to 17-3 and 14-1 in American Southwest Conference play, didn't have this one wrapped up until Chelsea Edwards and Lyndsey Smith combined for 7-of-8 free throw shooting in the game's final 40 seconds.

By that point, the 25th-ranked Comets had seen a seeming cakewalk (a 40-19 lead with 17:05 remaining) dwindle down to a three-point game (56-53) when the Lady Wildcats finished off a furious rush in the final seven minutes. But the tenacious LC defense caught up with it late, as four fouls were called in the final minute that resulted in the Edwards and Smith trips to the line.

As it turned out, the Comets needed every bit of a completely dominating firt half when they built a 36-19 lead. UTD shot 66 percent from the field and hit three 3-pointers while stopping the Lady Wildcats cold with an 8-for-33 showing (24.2 percent) from the floor.

In the second half, though, it was the Comets who were just 6-for-25 and let LC back in the game.

Smith finished the game scoring 19 points - the only UTD player in double figures.

The win sets up a home rematch with No.22 Mississippi College, which defeated the Comets in Clinton last Saturday. The Choctaws took care of the University of the Ozarks, 77-61, Thursday and remain just a game back of UTD in the ASC East Division standings. An MC win Saturday would tie up the race and give the Choctaws the tiebreaker. Tipoff is set for 1 pm.

BOXSCORE