SHREVEPORT, LA (12.19.15) - After two weeks away from the floor, the UT Dallas men's basketball team returned to action and remained perfect on the young season with a 65-41 win over Rust College Saturday afternoon to open the Centenary Classic.

The Comets improved to 6-0 with the win and will face host Centenary at 6 p.m. Sunday before shutting things down for the holidays.

Sophomore Jon Hatcher recorded a game-high 16 points, along with seven rebounds, as he became the first Comet to lead the team in scoring twice this season. Hatcher was 6-for-12 from the field, hitting three treys, and was 1-for-2 from the line as he was the only UTD player in double figures.

Kyle Coulter added nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds while Ben Smith came off the bench for a career-high eight points after missing the first five games of the season due to injury.

The Comets never trailed in the contest, opening the game with three-pointer by Coulter and never looking back. UTD held Rust to just 27.3 percent accuracy in the opening half, including 0-for-11 from three-point range, en route to a 27-18 halftime advantage.

After shooting just 37.9 percent themselves in the opening half, the Comets improved over the final 20 minutes, shooting 43.3 percent, as they would lead by as many as 28 points late in the half before settling for the 24-point victory.

UTD finished the afternoon shooting 40.7 percent (24-of-59) as a team, hitting 8-of-27 three-pointers (29.6%), and shot just 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the foul line. The Comets dominated the boards, out-rebounding Rust, 48-29.