Box Score SHERMAN, TX (01.02.12) - Senior guard Greg Chiasson nailed six straight free throws in the final :19 Monday night to keep the Austin College Kangaroos at bay as the UTD men's basketball team hung on for a spirited 67-62 non-conference victory.

Austin College (6-6), which the Comets had handled convincingly in an 82-58 victory earlier this season in Richardson, staged multiple rallies on its home court in the first game of 2012, and were within reach of upsetting UTD (9-2) late in the game. But after Walter Phillips finally pulled the 'Roos to within four (61-57) on a steal and dunk with 2:13 remaining, AC missed scoring chances on three straight possessions and were forced to foul the Comets in the final seconds.

UTD's Chris Barnes redeemed himself after giving the ball back to the 'Roos with an offensive foul at 1:02 by coming up with a big steal with :38 on the clock and keeping the lead out of reach. Forced to foul, AC sent Chiasson to the line three different times in the final seconds, and he was perfect on his two shots each trip.

Chiasson, who scored 15 points, finished only behind sophomore Kyle Schleigh, who posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Scott Hurley ended up in double figures again with a 13-point night.

After an early tie, UTD led throughout, but never could manage to stretch its advantage out far enough to put Austin College away.

The game started tight with UTD holding a narrow15-14 lead 8:26 into the first half, but Chiasson started the first of several Comet runs with a three-pointer. UTD pulled away on 20-4 run that gave UTD its biggest lead of the game (35-18) 5:57 before intermission.  The 'Roos, who staged several runs of their own, clawed their way back to within eight (35-27) with a 9-0 stretch of their own before Schleigh's second three-pointer of the opening half put the halftime margin at 38-27.

The Kangaroos were not done, though, and made things very interesting early in the second period by scoring the first 10 points and cutting the Comet lead down to one, 38-37 before Hurley broke the UTD scoring drought. Over the final five minutes of the first half and the first four of the second half, AC outscored UTD, 19-2.

An 11-3 run with 9:51 left in the game got AC back to within three (51-48), but UTD again came up with an answer. UTD reeled off six straight points to put them up 57-48 with 8:36 left and provided enough cushion to withstand the 9-4 AC run that ended with the Phillips dunk.

UTD finished shooting just 41.7 percent (20-of-48) after a hot start, but saved themselves by missing just one of 19 free throw attempts. AC forced the Comets into 21 turnovers and got 33 points off those miscues.

UTD returns to American Southwest Conference play and a five-game homestand Thursday night, hosting Concordia-Texas in a 7:30 pm tilt.

BOX SCORE