RICHARDSON, TX (11.29.14) - Sophomore Madison Steele scored a career-high 18 points as the UT Dallas women's basketball team earned a 72-56 home win over Hardin-Simmons Saturday afternoon in American Southwest Conference play.

The Comets (now 3-1, 1-1 ASC) shot better than 60 percent in the opening half as Steele scored the first four points of the game and UTD never looked back. Steele finished her first career start 7-for-10 from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Senior guards Madi Hess and Christina Brosnahan each added 11 points as the only other Comets in double figures.

UTD quickly grabbed a double-digit lead over the Cowgirls (now 2-3, 0-1 ASC), as Emily Price's three-pointer with 12:34 left in the first half lifted the Comets to an 18-7 advantage. UTD widened its lead to as many as 22 points in the half, 32-12 with 6:45 remaining, before setting for a 39-23 lead at the break. The Comets were 15-of-24 (62.5%) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 3-of-6 three-pointers, with Steele matching her previous career best with 12 points before intermission.

The Comets cooled off in the second period, but their 19-point halftime lead would be too much for HSU to overcome. The visiting Cowgirls drew within 13 points twice early in the second half before UTD bounce back and regained a 20-point cushion, 66-46, on a Christina Brosnahan lay up with 3:51 remaining. HSU made one last charge, using a 5-0 run late to draw within 12 points, 68-56, before the Comets scored the final four points of the contest on free throws by Steele and Iemah Wallace-Perry.

UTD ended the afternoon shooting 51 percent (25-of-49) from the field, connecting on 5-of-11 three-pointers (45.5%), and shooting 89.5 percent (17-of-19) from the foul line. Steele and Hess each finished with a game-high seven rebounds while Hess an Brown dished out a team-best five assists. UTD held a slim rebounding advantage over the Cowgirls, 37-32.

For HSU, Taylor Klement had a team-best 16 points while Lauren Thomas came off the bench for 14 points. The Cowgirls shot just 29.5 percent (18-of-61) from the field, hitting 7-of-18 three-pointers (38.9%), while shooting 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the charity stripe.

The Comets will look to collect a second straight ASC win Thursday night at Ozarks. Game time is 5:30 p.m. in Clarksville, Ark.