TYLER, TX (02.25.16) - Junior forward Micaela Gonzalez scored a career-high 28 points and recorded her ninth "double-double" of the season in the UT Dallas women's basketball team's 80-73 loss to Howard Payne Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the 2016 American Southwest Conference Tournament, held at the Herrington Patriot Center on the campus of Texas-Tyler.

"We knew from day one that this season would be a rebuilding year after losing so many talented players from last season's Sweet 16 squad," said UTD head coach Polly Thomason. "Today, however, we played a senior-heavy division champion tough and it came down to two or three possessions late in the game. I am proud of this team and excited to see what the future brings."

Gonzalez, a native of McKinney, finished the contest 11-for-17 from the field and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds as the Comets wrapped up their season with a 14-12 overall record, advancing to the ASC Tournament for the 10th consecutive season.

Entering the postseason as the No. 4 seed out of the ASC's East Division, the Comets had their work cut out for them to claim a third conference crown in four seasons, having to potentially face both division winners. UTD got off to a hot start against the ASC West champion Lady Jackets, securing a 15-8 lead after the opening period. The Comets would then grab their largest lead of the afternoon with 8:27 left in the first half when Gonzalez drilled a three-pointer to lift UTD to a 19-8 advantage. The Comets would take a 34-29 lead into the locker room after shooting better than 52 percent from the field over the opening 20 minutes of play.

Howard Payne (now 17-9) would grab its first lead of the contest with 7:57 left in the third frame at 37-36, but the Comets would not allow HPU to pull away in the period. UTD answered two minutes later as Kendall Festervand would hit a pair of free throw to give the Comets back the lead, 42-41, with 5:54 in the quarter. The two teams then traded the lead seven times late in the third before HPU snagged a 56-52 lead at the end of the period. The Lady Jackets led for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

Festervand finished with 13 points while Jasmine Lopez added 11 points to join Gonzalez in double-figure scoring. The Comets ended the contest shooting 41.5 percent (22-of-53) from the field and were 24-of-32 from the free-throw line, making 20 free throws for the sixth time this season. In addition, UTD out-rebounded the Lady Jackets, 48-37.