SAN ANTONIO, TX (11.15.17) - The UT Dallas men's basketball team clamped down defensively as the Comets snagged a 63-51 road win over Trinity Wednesday night in the season opener for both programs.

Ben Smith led the Comets with 14 points while Jon Hatcher added 11 points as the duo were the only UTD players to top double figures in the 12-point victory.

UTD would take the lead for good with 14:28 left in the opening half when Matt McCray's lay up lifted the Comets to an 8-7 lead over the host Tigers. The Comets would extend their first-half lead to as many as 10 points on four occasions before settling for a 30-22 halftime lead. The Comets shot just 36.4 percent from the field in the opening half, but limited Trinity to just 9-of-33 accuracy (27.3%) before the break.

The Comets struggled from the field in the second half, hitting just 7-of-2 shots (28.%), but hit five three-pointers and dominated the boards, 27-17, over the final 20 minutes of the contest. UTD led by as many as 19 points with just under four minutes to play when Caleb Banks drained a free throw to lift the Comets to a 58-59 lead, their largest margin of the evening.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Comets held Trinity to just 29.2 percent shooting for the night as the Tigers were just 19-of-65 from the field and hit just 5-of-22 shots (22.7%) from three-point range. UTD out-rebounded the Tigers, 52-36, and committed just 15 fouls in the contest, allowing just 10 Trinity free throw attempts.

KEY PERFORMERS
Smith was 5-for-11 from the field, connecting on 4-of-6 three-pointers, and added three rebounds and an assist. Hatcher was 3-for-7 from long range as the only other Comet in double figures. Caleb Banks, Dimitrius Underwood and Curtis Allen each contributed eight points each. Reagan Keogh and Michael Forster each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

NEXT GAME
The Comets (1-0) continue their two-game road trip to open the season Friday with a 6 p.m. non-conference game at Schreiner in Kerrville.