RICHARDSON, TX (11.21.14) - The UT Dallas women's basketball team needed some clutch shots down the stretch and a missed game-tying desperation shot at the buzzer Friday night to hold off Austin College, 67-64, and continue its perfect start to the 2014-15 season.

UTD (3-0) saw the Kangaroos (1-2) battle back and create a tight game in the second half that saw the Comets build their lead past five points just once. UTD's Madi Hess found teammate Madison Steele for a key layup with :34 seconds left (giving UTD a 67-62 lead), but then missed a pair of free throws after AC had cut the lead to 67-64 that would have given UTD a two-possession advantage with :16 remaining. The missed foul shots left the door open for the 'Roos to work the ball back to their end of the court for a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer, but Erin Riley's shot bounced off the front of the iron to give UTD the victory.

Christina Brosnahan paced the Comets with a team-high 15 points, while Amber Brown pitched in 11 with six rebounds. Newcomer Nicolette Erkman added nine points with six boards to the mix while Ashley Shaw, Micaela Gonzalez and Steele all had eight-point nights. 

Erkman nailed a pair of shots in the first :54 of the game to spark UTD to an early 9-0 start, but the 'Roos came to life and cut the lead down to 13-11 by the 12:05 mark of the first period. A 15-6 run that ended with another Erkman layup had the Comets back out on top with their largest lead of the night - 11 points (28-17) - but AC cut a 10-point deficit down to 35-28 at the half with a last-second Riley three-pointer.
 

The 'Roos then turned the game into a barn-burner, scoring the first five points of the second half and the race was on. AC actually did not ever take the lead, though, after an official's review overturned a three-point shot at 13:53 that would have knotted the game at 42-42. Instead, UTD held on to a one-point lead and then seemed to have an answer any time AC got to within a single possession. 

With 7:27 to go, the 'Roos cut the lead down to 51-49, but the Comets responded with a 6-0 run to build their largest lead of the second half at 57-49 with 6:01 remaining. Five times in the final six minutes, AC got to within a single shot by cutting the UTD lead down to three, but Brosnahan, Ashley Shaw, Hess and Steele all hit key shots to stretch the lead back to five.

Inside the final minute, Hess found Steele, who cut through a crowd for UTD's last basket and a 67-62 lead with :34 left. AC cut the lead down to the final 67-64 at the :20 mark, and neither team scored again.

UTD shots 45.5 percent from the floor, but was just 4-of-18 from beyond the three-point arch. AC finished the game shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. UTD won the rebounding battle, 34-23.

The Comets open American Southwest Conference play Tuesday night against Louisiana College in a game that has been moved to Alexandria, La. UTD returns home for another ASC matchup next Saturday against Hardin-Simmons.