RICHARDSON, TX (03.07.15) - For the first time in program history, the UT Dallas women's basketball team is heading to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament after picking up a 63-38 win over Rhodes College Saturday in the opening round.

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The Comets (now 25-4) will square with rival Texas-Tyler at 3 p.m. Sunday for a berth into the NCAA D-III Sweet Sixteen. UTD is 2-1 this season against the Patriots, including an 82-74 win over UTT in the American Southwest Conference title game last Saturday.

 

After an ugly first half against Rhodes, the Comets grabbed a 24-14 lead at intermission. UTD shot better than 50 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes and dominated the boards (21-9), but committed 17 first-half turnovers. The second half was a different story as UTD took care of the basketball, giving it up just six times.

Senior point guard Madi Hess led the Comets with a game-high 19 points, all in the second half after picking up two early fouls in just nine minutes on the floor before the break. After not recording a shot before halftime, Hess finished the game 6-of-9 from the field, hitting 2-of-5 three-pointers, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line. Fellow senior Amber Brown finished the game with 13 points along with seven rebounds and five assists, both game highs, while sophomore Micaela Gonzalez came off the bench for 10 points and six boards.

The Comets took just 15 shots in the first half, due to turnovers and 15 first-half fouls by Rhodes. UTD shot 53.3% (8-of-15) from the field and did not hit a three-pointer before half, but were 8-of-9 (88.8%) from the charity stripe.

Rhodes (now 20-9) would start the second half strong as center Symone Daniels scored the Lynx' first 10 points of the half to chip the UTD lead down to just three points, 32-29, with 13:04 left to play. Daniels hit five straight field goals for the Lynx, including a pair of three-pointers, as the tide of the game seemed to shift. But, that was before Hess decided to take over.

Hess would use back-to-back running lay ups with just over 11 minutes to play to help lift UTD back to a double-digit lead, 39-29, and the Comets extended their lead to 18 points, 50-32, with 7:27 after a Hess three-pointer. UTD would widen its lead to as many as 27 points in in the final two minutes of the game. UTD shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field in the second half, hitting 4-of-10 three-pointers and were 9-of-12 from the line over the final 20 minutes.

The Comets shot better than 50 percent as a team for the sixth time this season, finishing the contest 21-of-41 (51.2%) from the field. UTD was 4-of-11 (36.4%) from three-point range and shot 81 percent (17-of-21) from the free-throw line.

For Rhodes, Daniels finished with a team-high 17 points,13 in the second half, but got into foul trouble midway through the period and eventually fouled out. Sarah Johnson added 14 points. Daniels had a team-best five rebounds while three different players had two assists. The Lynx shot just 23.5 percent (12-of-51) from the field, hitting 4-of-20 (20%) three-pointers, and shot 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the foul line.

With the win, UTD improved to 1-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament. The Comets' only previous trip to the tournament came in 2013, ending in a first-round 45-40 loss to Washington-St. Louis.