Box Score SHERMAN, TX (11.28.12) - A 34-24 second half surge gave the UT Dallas men's basketball team enough of a cushion to pull away from Austin College and pick up their fourth straight to start the season, 61-50 over the Kangaroos.

UTD improved to 4-0 for the second straight season while the 'Roos fell to 1-4 after the loss.

Kyle Schleigh led the way with a "double-double", scoring 22 points along with 13 rebounds, both season highs, as the Comets turned away a homecourt threat from AC. Carter Nash was the only other Comet in double figures with 11 points and picked up seven boards.

Up by one (27-26) on a Nash buzzer beater at the half, UTD opened the second period scoring on its first three possessions to stretch out the lead. Reese Dahse and Mitchell Anderson nailed threes on the first two trips down the floor and Schleigh then hit a layup to make it 35-26 before AC ever scored a point in the second half.

A Nash prayer just before the shot clock expired at 15:56 went in, followed by a Dahse fast break basket to give UTD its largest second-half lead at 40-27 seconds later.

But AC wasn't finished. The 'Roos went on a 7-0 run to cut the margin down to six (40-34), and later cut the lead down to three (48-45) with still 8:05 remaining. The Comets, though, answered with another 7-0 run on three-pointers from Schleigh and Ryan Smith to pull its advantage back to 55-45 at 5:32. The 'Roos got a jumper and free throw with 4:47 to cut the lead down to seven (55-48), but did not score again from the field until late in the final seconds.

Schleigh hit the first bucket of  the game for either team, but AC answered with an early 10-0 run to go up 10-2. Nolan Harvey then finally hit the first three of the game for UTD to start a 9-2 run that got the Comets back in the game. But when Schleigh finished a possession with a dunk to pull UTD to within a point at 10-11 (9:11), AC's Ransom Okpala answered immediately with his first three-pointer. Then, when Nash got loose inside to give UTD its first lead at 17-16 (4:53), Okpala again answered at the other end of the floor to reclaim the lead for AC.

UTD finally tied up the game at 22-22 on a Mitchell Anderson three at 2:56. The 'Roos moved back in front on a Walter Phillips layup, but Schleigh was there again for UTD. A foul on a layup and the ensuing free throw put UTD ahead again at 25-24. Nash finished off UTD's final possession of the half with a buzzer-beating put-back shot that gave the Comets a 27-26 halftime lead.

The Comets finished the night shooting 40 percent (22-of-55) from the field, connecting on just 5-of-26 three-pointers (19.2%), and shot a mere 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the foul line.

UTD returns to American Southwest Conference play Saturday afternoon with a road tip to Hardin-Simmons. Game time is 3 p.m. in Abilene.