GRAND RAPIDS, MI (03.13.15) - In a hard-fought, back-and-forth Sweet 16 showdown, the UT Dallas women's basketball team found itself on the losing end of a 77-73 decision to unbeaten and No. 3-ranked George Fox in the third round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament in Van Noord Arena on the campus of Calvin College.

POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

The No. 24-ranked Comets, whose record-breaking season ends at 26-5, dominated the boards, 46-32, but could not overcome 19 turnovers against a tenacious GFU press as their school-record 10-game winning streak came to an end. The two teams traded 10 lead changes and nine ties before George Fox (now 30-0) advanced to the NCAA D-III Elite 8 Saturday night against the Calvin/DePauw winner with the win.

 

Sophomore Madison Steele led five Comets in double figures with 14 points off the bench while Iemah Wallace-Perry and Amber Brown each had 13 points and Ashley Shaw and Micaela Gonzalez added 11 points apiece. Gonzalez finished with a team-best nine rebounds while Brown dished out a team-high five assists.

The Comets shot just 37.1 percent (23-of-62) from the field, their lowest since the start of their winning streak and hit just 5-of-15 three-pointers (33.3%) on the night. UTD did, however, hit 22-of-26 free throws (88%) and used a season-high 20 offensive rebounds to stay in the fight with one of the top teams in NCAA D-III.

The Bruins opened the game strong, grabbing their largest lead of the night, 14-8, with 14:17 left in the first half after a Justine Brenner lay up. But UTD would answer quickly with a 7-0 run, capped by a Wallace-Perry three-pointer, to take its first lead of the contest, 15-14, with 11:15 left before the break. After six lead changes over the next four minutes, the Comets took control of the game with a 8-0 run to grab a 29-22 advantage over GFU with 5:52 remaining in the half after a Gonzalez old-fashioned three-point play.

After a Bruin timeout, however, GFU responded with six straight points and eventually took back the lead with just over two minutes to play before halftime. George Fox maintained its lead for the rest of the half, taking a 37-35 lead into the locker room.

The Comets regained the lead with 16:32 to play in the contest as Steele used a lay up to give UTD a 41-39 advantage. That would be the first of 12 lead changes in the second half.

With 13:50 remaining, George Fox's Kennedy Hobert hit a three-pointer to lift the Bruins to a 47-44 advantage. That would prove to be the largest lead by either team in the second half until the final 90 seconds. After that point, neither team would lead by more than two points until Shaw hit a free throw with 7:19 left to give UTD a 58-55 advantage. The Comets' final lead would come with 3:35 left as a pair of Gonzalez free throws put UTD up 63-62.

The Bruins answered with a three-point play by Benner, but Wallace-Perry would knot the game, 65-65, on UTD's next possession. But, GFU would take the lead for good with 2:44 left on a Benner lay up and the Bruins then hit a miracle three-pointer, bouncing off the rim twice and high off the glass, by Nicole Blizzard with 1:26 to secure a five-point advantage, 72-67.

UTD battled back and even trimmed the deficit to one point, 74-73, after two free throws by Shaw with 42 seconds left, but the Bruins answered with two free throws by Lauren Codling. The Comets' hopes were then dashed on their very next possession as Shaw was called with an offensive foul after charging to a seemingly open basket. GFU's Dacia Heckendorf hit 1-of-2 free shots with 8.2 seconds left to ice the game.

For George Fox, Jami Morris scored a game-high 17 points to lead four Bruins in double figures. Benner finished with 16 points while Codling had 13 points and Blizzard added 11 points. Codling recorded a "double-double" with a game-best 13 rebounds. GFU shot 39.4 percent (26-of-66) from the field, hitting 7-of-21 three-pointers (33.3%), and were 18-of-21 (85.7%) from the free-throw line.