Box Score RICHARDSON, TX (01.12.13) - Junior forward
Kyle Schleigh was one assist shy of the first "triple-double" in program history as he led a balanced scoring attack in a 87-77 win by the UT Dallas men's basketball team over rival Texas-Tyler in American Southwest Conference East Division play.
The Comets (now 11-4, 7-3 ASC), now winners of their last five games, take over first place in the ASC East with the victory. Schleigh finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as four Comets reached double-digit scoring. Junior
Dmitriy Chernikov also matched Schleigh's team-best with 20 points, hitting four key three-pointers in the second half.
Leading 43-29 at the break, the Comets seemingly took control of the game 3:25 into the second half when a
Chris McOmber three-pointer lifted UTD to a 51-31 advantage, forcing a Patriot timeout. However, UTT answered with a 13-4 run over the next three minutes to trim the Comet lead to 11 points, 55-44, at the 13:28 mark.
UTD's advantage soon fell to single digits as Patriot guard Jordan Cannon started to take control of the game. After being held scoreless in the first half, Cannon scored 13 points in the opening nine minutes of the second half, trimming the Comet lead to 61-53 with 10:53 remaining. UT-Tyler got as close as two points, 65-63, with 6:49 remaining on a Tyler Hysell steal and layup but Comets regained momentum with three-pointers on four straight trips down the floor, three-straight by Chernikov, to regain a double-digit cushion, 77-67, with just over four minutes left.
The Patriots answered with lay ups by Darren Houliston and Travis Dykman, but UT-Tyler would not get any closer than six points down the stretch as the Comets connected on 6-of-8 free throws in the final 2:19.
The Comets shot a season-best 58.7 percent (27-of-46) from the field, hitting 11-of-19 three-pointers (57.9%), and shot 78.6 percent (22-of-28) from the free-throw line. Schleigh was just 5-for-12 form the field, hitting a pair of treys, but hit 8-of-9 free-throws to secure his seventh "double-double" of the season. Chernikov was 7-for-9 from the field, hitting 4-of-5 three-pointers, and was 2-for-3 from the line.
Nolan Harvey and McOmber added 14 points and 12 points, respectively, to round out the Comets in double figures. UTD dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Patriots, 38-22.
UTD came out hot, using an 8-0 run to open the game and force a quick timeout by the Patriots. The Comets would lead wire-to-wire as UT-Tyler never even tied the game, getting as close as two points five times in the first half, the final time coming at the 8:08 mark, 17-15. UTD then posted an 8-0 run, getting a triple by Harvey, a jumper from Chernikov and an old-fashioned three-point play by Schleigh to grab a 25-15 cushion with 5:57 to play in the first half. The Comets secured the 14-point halftime lead, their largest of the half, with a layup by
Jacob VanNattan after a Schleigh steal with nine seconds before intermission.
For UT-Tyler (now 11-4, 6-3 ASC), Cannon finished with a game-high 21 points, all in the second half, while Dykman added 12 points. Cannon was 8-of-10 in the second half, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers. The Patriots shot 49.2 percent (32-of-65) from the field, hitting 11-of-25 (44%) from beyond the arc, and made just 2-of-5 free-throws on the afternoon as UTD committed just eight fouls.
The Comets wrap up their seven-game home stand Monday night with a break from ASC play as they host Trinity. Game time is 7 p.m. at the UTD Activity Center.
