RICHARDSON, TX (02.05.15) - Freshman
Caleb Banks nailed a three-pointer with 35 seconds left in overtime to lift the UT Dallas men's basketball team to a 92-88 home win over Louisiana College Thursday night in American Southwest Conference play.
With the game tied, 86-86, Banks connected on his third trey of the night after a sharp pass from the paint from teammate
Reagan Keogh. Banks would add two free throws on the next UTD possession to seal the win after the visiting Wildcats forced overtime with a pair of free throws by Kevin Cottonham with :03 left in regulation.
Rafael Farley led the Comets with 36 points, hitting 8-of-13 three-pointers, while Banks finished with 17 points and 10 assists and
Matthew Medell pitched in 12 points.
Kyle Coulter had eight points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
The Comets (now 15-6, 10-6 ASC) led LC, 79-73, with 27 seconds left in regulation after a Farley three-pointer, but Cottonham answered with three free throws on LC's next possession after being fouled by Farley on a three-point shot. Farley then hit two free throws of his own with 16 ticks remaining to give UTD back a five-point advantage, 81-76, before Cottonham again answered with an old-fashioned three-point play to draw the Wildcats back within two points, 81-79, with 13 seconds left. Banks would miss the front end of a one-and-one setting up Cottonham's game-tying free throws.
Banks opened the extra frame with a pair of free throws before Cottonham hit his seventh three-pointer of the night to give LC an 84-83 advantage, the Wildcats' first lead since the 2:28 mark of the second half. Farley answered with his eighth and final trey with 1:53 left in overtime to give UTD back the lead, but LC's Anthony Gaines knotted the game, 86-86, with a running lay up with just under a minute to play. With the shot clock running down, Keogh found an open Banks deep in the corner to lift the Comets to the win.
The opening half was a showcase between Farley and Cottonham as the two shooters combined for 37 points before intermission. Farley scored 19 of his 36 points before halftime while Cottonham had 18 of his game-high 39 points over the first 20 minutes.
The Comets would grab an early 19-10 lead over LC with 13:43 left in the opening half after a Medell lay up, but that would be the largest margin by either team for the night. UTD equaled its nine-point advantage with 6:18 remaining before half when
Alden Miles drained a three-pointer to lift the Comets to a 37-28 cushion. However, the Wildcats would end the half on a 13-5 run to draw within two points, 42-40, at the break.
Within the first minute of the second half, UTD regained a six-point lead, 46-40, after back-to-back lay ups by Keogh and Coulter before the Wildcats would mount another run and grab their first lead since the opening two minutes of the game. With 14:51 remaining in regulation, Cottonham gave LC a 51-49 advantage with a three-pointer and the Wildcats would extend their four points, 56-52, with 12:40 left. A Medell three-pointer with 9:31 left to knot the game, 60-60. That would be the first of seven ties down the stretch.
The Comets shot 50 percent (32-of-64) for the game, hitting 13-of-29 three-pointers (44.8%), and were 15-of-21 (71.4%) from the foul line. Farley finished the game 11-of-24 from the field as he topped 30 points for the second time this season.
The Wildcats (now 10-8, 10-5 ASC) shot better than 55 percent (30-of-54) for the game, hitting 9-of-18 three-pointers. Cottonham was 12-of-22 from the floor, hitting 7-of-11 treys, and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe while dishing out eight assists. Gaines added 30 points on 11-of-16, adding a team-high eight rebounds and four blocks.
UTD, now in sixth place in the ASC standings but just a half a game out of third place, will look to extend its three-game winning streak next Thursday as the Comets visit LeTourneau. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Longview.
