RICHARDSON, TX (12.30.16) - The UT Dallas women's basketball team collected its sixth straight victory Friday afternoon as the Comets opened the UTD Classic with a 59-44 win over the University of Chicago.

The Comets (8-2) posted their best defensive effort of the season, holding Chicago to just 44 points and 30.8 percent shooting for the contest. UTD has held all 10 opponents this season under 60 points, limiting their foes to 50 or fewer on three occasions.

UTD got off to a hot start, outscoring the Maroons, 22-10, in the opening quarter and never looked back. The Comets finished the game shooting just 36.8 percent (25-of-68) from the field, but forced 18 Chicago turnovers and blocked seven shots to earn their sixth double-digit victory of the young season.

Alyssa Crockett led all scorers with 17 points, while adding five rebounds and a pair of assists. Micaela Gonzalez added 10 points, nine rebounds and six blocks while Kayla Reinhart had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Zavier Landry dished out a game-best five assists, adding four points, six rebounds and three steals in a solid all-around performance.

Leading by 12 points after the first period, would slowly add to their lead before taking a 35-22 lead into the locker room. After a fairly uneventful third quarter, UTD secured a 44-30 advantage heading to the final 10 minutes of the contest. The Comets grabbed their largest lead of the game late in the quarter when Victoria Pena hit a three-pointer to lift UTD to a 22-point advantage, 56-34, with 2:27 on the clock. The Maroons (6-4) finished the game on a 10-3 run against the UTD reserves.

In other action in the UTD Classic Friday, Hendrix downed Milwaukee School of Engineering, 63-45. Hendrix will face Chicago at 12 p.m. Saturday before the Comets close the event against MSOE at 2 p.m., all at the UTD Activity Center.