RICHARDSON, TX (01.02.16) - Sophomore guard Noah Hill scored a game-high 21 points and led four Comets in double figures as the UT Dallas men's basketball team held off Howard Payne Saturday afternoon for a 79-75 win in American Southwest Conference play.

The Comets (now 7-1, 2-0 ASC) return to action Monday afternoon as they host Sul Ross State, another ASC West Division foe. Game time is 2 p.m. at the UTD Activity Center.

Hill finished the game 7-for-11 from the field, hitting four three-pointers, as he recorded the highest point total of the season by a Comet. Hill's outing was just the second 20-point performance this season by UTD as the Comets continue to mount a balanced scoring attack, now with six players averaging nine points or more through eight contests.

UTD exploded out to an early 7-0 lead and, thanks to near 54 percent shooting in the opening half, the Comets rolled to a 41-32 halftime lead over the visiting Yellow Jackets (now 2-9, 0-3 ASC). HPU rallied late, however, nearly erasing a 13-point second-half lead by the Comets.

With 5:54 remaining to play, the Comets snagged their largest lead of the second half as Reagan Keogh hit the first of two free throws to lift UTD to a 67-54 advantage. HPU then slowly battled back, drawing within single digits with 3:25 left when Khyce Randall used an old-fashion three-point play to cut the Comet lead to nine points, 71-62.

The Yellow Jackets would then use three-pointers from D.J. Gardner and Randall in the final minute of the game to trim the Comet lead to just four points, 77-73, as UTD struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch. With 12 seconds left, HPU cut the lead down to three points on a lay up by Rickey Guillory, but the Comets would seal the game with one of two free throws by Dapo Ogunfeitmi on UTD's next possession.

Kyle Coulter finished the afternoon with 14 points, while Keogh added 12 points and Jon Hatcher had 11 points. Keogh grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while Caleb Banks added eight points and a game-best six assists. The Comets nearly shot 50 percent for the third game this season, finishing the contest 27-of-55 (49.1%) from the floor, connecting on 11-of-23 three-pointers (47.8%), but shot just 56 percent (14-of-25) from the foul line.

For HPU, Randall had 20 points while Guillory finished with 19 points as the duo accounted for 39 of the Yellow Jackets' 75 points. HPU shot 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field, hitting 10-of-25 three-pointers (40%) and were 9-of-10 (90%) from the fou line.