GEORGETOWN, TX (12.18.15) - After nearly two weeks off, the No. 22-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball team picked up where it left off Friday afternoon with a 50-44 road win over Southwestern in non-conference play.
The Comets (now 6-1) shot just 32.7 percent from the field but forced 25 Southwestern turnovers as they returned to the court for the first time since Dec. 5. UTD will close the fall semester on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at Austin College in its final non-conference contest of the season.
With the Comets leading 46-44 late in the fourth period, junior
Nicolette Erkman drained her only three-pointer of the game to put the nail in the coffin of the host Pirates. After more than two minutes of scoreless play by both squads, the Comets completed the scoring with a free throw by
Shannon Mathis.
Erkman finished the afternoon with a game-high 12 points, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the field. Mathis and
Micaela Gonzalez added seven points while
McKenzie Petty and
Madison Steele each contributed six points. Gonzalez, Steele and
Alyssa Crockett each collected a team-high five rebounds while Steele and Crockett each dished out three assists.
UTD would trail the host Pirates (now 2-8) just once in the contest after setting the tone with a 9-2 stretch to open the game. Southwestern responded early in the period by taking a 12-11 lead over the Comets on a jumper by Cullen Severson, but UTD quickly answered and took a 22-17 lead into the locker room.
The Comets snagged their first double-digit lead, 28-17, with 8:43 left in the third period on a jumper by Steele. UTD would secure its largest lead of the game on its next possession when converted on a Steele steal with a lay up to put the Comets up 30-17.
After clawing within three points on several occasions late in the second half, Southwestern finally cut the Comet lead to 46-44 with 2:48 left on a lay up by Tori Carraway. The Pirates had a chance to draw within a point on the play, but Carraway missed the free throw. Crockett then found an open Erkman with 2:25 on the clock to pull the Comets away from their hosts.
The Comets were 18-of-55 from the field, hitting 5-of-20 three-pointers (25%), and hit just 9-of-20 free throws (45%). Southwestern shot 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the floor, going 0-for-12 from three-point range, and hitting 10-of-15 free throws (66.7%).
