TYLER, Texas (02.27.15) - A desperation three-pointer at the buzzer by senior Madi Hess propelled the UT Dallas women's basketball team back to the American Southwest Conference championship game with a 70-67 semifinal win over Concordia Texas at UT Tyler's Patriot Center.
 
The Comets will meet tournament host UT Tyler, a 76-47 winner over Howard Payne, for the American Southwest Conference championship at 4:00 pm Saturday. UTD won the league championship in 2013.
 
Hess got a chance to break a 67-67 tie with the winning shot (SEE VIDEO) when Amber Brown knocked the ball away from Louisiana College's Danisha Allison with seconds left. After a timeout, UTD had just 2.9 seconds to work a play and Hess took a pass back from Micaela Gonzalez, firing up the game-winner from the left elbow as the horn sounded.
 

The final three-pointer – Hess' fifth of the game – gave the Comet senior a game-high 16 points to go with six rebounds. Ashley Shaw tallied 15 points while Amber Brown hit some key baskets on the way to a 12-point game. Neka Jones and Karylon Thorton each had 14 points for LC.
 
UTD (now 23-4) had played catch-up most of the defensive-dominated game and only overtaken Louisiana College (17-8) for the first time since early in the first half when Ashley Shaw hit a jumper with 7:16 remaining to put UTD ahead, 60-59. The two teams battled down the stretch with two more ties and three lead changes before the Lady Wildcats tied up the score at 67-67 with a pair of Allison free throws with 4:15 left.
 
Turnovers, missed shots and rebound battles dominated the final four minutes until Hess hit the game-winner as time ran out. In the final minute, UTD missed a chance to take the lead once on a shot clock violation, and then on a pair of missed free throws after an Iemah Wallace-Perry steal and LC foul on the ensuing fast break.
 
The Wildcats started the semifinal matchup on fire, and converted four consecutive UTD turnovers into an 8-0 run in building an early 13-5 lead. But LC then went into a seven-minute scoring drought from the floor and Hess nailed a couple of three-pointers during a 14-0 run that gave the Comets a 19-14 advantage with 11 minutes left before halftime.
 
The Wildcat offense then woke up and didn't miss many shots the rest of the way. LC  worked the ball inside to tie the game quickly at 21-21 and then moved out to a 30-26 lead with 5:50 remaining on Jones' fourth three-pointer of the half. The Wildcats stretched their first-half lead out to 38-32 with 2:06 remaining before Shaw and Hess scored the last five points of the half to pull UTD to within 37-38 at the break.
 
The Comets scored nine of their first-half points off 13 LC fouls.
The second half was a different story as both teams did a better job taking care of the ball, and staying out of foul trouble. LC stretched its lead out to five points twice to open the period, but three-pointers from Hess and Christina Brosnahan twice cut the Wildcat lead down to two points before a Brown jumper at 14:00 finally tied the game up at 49-49. LC retook the lead, but could never get ahead by more than four points before Shaw's jumper from the free throw line at 7:16 allowed the Comets to move out front.
 
Statistically, the two teams couldn't have been more even. Both shot well (41.4 percent for UTD compared to 47.1 for LC), hit four three-pointers each and were even in rebounds at 30-30.