RICHARDSON, TX (01.14.16) - The UT Dallas men's basketball team finished one three-pointer shy of a school record Thursday night as the Comets rolled to an 88-52 home win over rival Texas-Tyler in American Southwest Conference play.

The Comets (now 9-3, 3-2 ASC) went 15-for-26 (57.7%) from three-point and they picked up back-to-back wins after dropping three out of four contests over the holiday break. UTD hit 11 of its 15 three-pointers in the first half, including its first five long-range shots, as the Comets jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

UTD will look for a third straight win Saturday afternoon as the Comets host LeTourneau in another ASC game. Game time is 3 p.m. at the UTD Activity Center.

Jon Hatcher went 6-for-7 from three-point range for a game-high 25 points while Caleb Banks was 4-for-5 from outside for 18 points as the duo combined for 43 of the Comets' 88 points against UT-Tyler. Kailin Bray came off the bench for 14 points to round out the Comets in double figures.

After giving up a game-starting three-pointer to the Patriots, Hatcher tied the game with his first long shot. The Comets then got three-pointers from Banks, Dapo Ogunfeitmi, Banks again and Kyle Coulter to complete a 5-for-5 start from outside the arc and take a 15-9 lead over UTT with 15:11 left in the opening half. The Comets' first double-digit lead of the night came with 12:16 remaining in the period when Banks hit his third three-pointer of the night to give UTD a 23-11 advantage. Banks opened the game 4-for-4 (all three-pointers) and added three free throws to account for 15 of the Comets' first 23 points.

The Comets continue to pull away over the rest of the half, shooting 11-of-16 (68.8%) from three-pointer over the first 20 minutes. UTD led the visiting Patriots, 43-22, heading into the locker room.

Leading by more 20 points for most of the seconds, the Comets cooled off from three-point distance, hitting just 4-of-10 long shots over the second half. Bray would step up after the break, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half as UTD took the ball inside for the final 20 minutes. The Comets were 13-of-21 inside the arc in the second half with Bray going 4-for-4 with four free throws.

UTD finished the night shooting 50 percent (31-of-62) and was 11-for-16 (68.8%) from the free-throw line. The Comets dominated the boards, out-rebounding UTT, 44-32, with Ben Smith lead the squad with six rebounds. Hatcher was 9-for-14 from the field and added five rebounds while Banks was 5-for-11 with a game-high six assists, four rebounds and three steals. UTD's 15 three-pointers was one make shy of the Comet single-game record of 16, set against Ozarks in the 2009-10 season and matched two years ago against Howard Payne.