Box Score RICHARDSON, TX (11.15.11) - Senior
Chris Barnes and sophomore
Kyle Schleigh each scored 18 points as the UT Dallas men's basketball team kicked off the season with an 81-54 home win over cross-town rival University of Dallas.
The Comets (now 1-0) shot 51 percent (25-of-49) from the field and hit seven three-pointers as they cruised to the 27-point win over the Crusaders. Barnes, a returning second team All-American for UTD, was 5-of-7 from the field, hitting both treys he attempted, and hit 6-of-7 from the foul line. Schleigh was 5-of-8 from the floor, hitting one three-pointer, and hit 7-of-8 free-throw attempts.
Carter Nash added 14 points, 10 of which came in the first half, to round out the Comets in double digits. Nash led UTD with nine rebounds, one board shy of his career high and his second career "double-double".
With his 18 points, Barnes became just the eighth player in UTD men's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. He now has 1,008 points and is just two points behind fifth place Jordan Eppink (1,010, 2006-10).
After a slugging start to the game, the Comets finally found a rhythm and grabbed their first lead of the night, 13-12, on a Nash lay up. UTD would extend its lead to as many as 18 points in the opening half before taking a 41-27 lead into the locker room. The Comets shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field in the first half, but hit just 12-of-18 shots (66.7%) from the foul line as a team.
UT Dallas regained its 18-point lead with 15:48 left in the contest on a Schleigh free throw and took its first 20-point lead with 10:02 left on a three-pointer by
Scott Hurley, his only trey of the night. The Comets widened their lead to as many as 28 points, 66-38, on a pair of free throws by Nash and never led by fewer than 21 points the rest of the night.
For the Crusaders (now 0-1), Tanner Bruffey had 11 points and Braeton Hightower added 10 points. Aaron Wyatt and Alex Winebarger each had a team-best six rebounds. UD shot 34.7 percent (10-of-25) from the field and hit 9-of-24 shots (37.5%) from behind the arc. The Crusaders were 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the free-throw line.
The Comets return to the floor Saturday afternoon as they celebrate Homecoming with a 3 p.m. meeting with Centenary at the UTD Activity Center.
BOX SCORE
