RICHARDSON, TX (01.31.15) - The UT Dallas men's basketball team bounced back Saturday afternoon with an 81-67 home win over Sul Ross State in American Southwest Conference play.
The Comets (now 13-6, 8-6 ASC) shot nearly 61 percent from the field in the opening and led by as many as 30 points in the second half before having to fight off a charging SRSU team late. The Lobos hit five three-pointers in the final five minutes of the game to cut the UTD lead to as few as 11 points in the final minute of the contest before the Comets could seal the victory.
Matthew Medell scored a team-high 18 points for the Comets, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the floor, as the senior led four UTD players in double figures.
Rafael Farley finished with 14 points while
Caleb Banks and
Zach Helmberger each added 11 points. Banks also finished with eight assists and seven steals, both game highs, in a solid all-around performance.
Ryan Horton came off the bench for a game-best nine rebounds.
UTD got off to a hot start against the Lobos, grabbing a 19-3 lead with 12:05 left in the opening half after a Banks lay up. The Comets led by as many as 26 points twice in the half as they hit 17-of-28 shots (60.7%) before the break, hitting 5-of-10 three-pointers.
With 9:04 left in the contest, the Comets would snag its first 30-point lead of the night when Medell hit the first of two free throws to lift UTD to a 67-37 advantage. With the reserves in the game, the Lobos would battle back, however, using a 19-4 run over a near six-minute span to draw within 15 points, 73-58, with just under two minutes to play. SRSU would add three more three-pointers in the final 71 seconds to close the gap. The Lobos were 8-of-15 (53.3%) from three-point range over the final 20 minutes.
The Comets ended the game shooting a season-high 58.0 percent (29-of-50) from the field, connecting on 8-of-21 three-pointers (38.1%), and ended the game 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the foul line. UTD out-rebounded the Lobos, 32-24, and finished the game with a season-best 12 steals.
UTD returns to the floor Monday night as the Comets visit Hardin-Simmons. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Abilene.
