RICHARDSON, TX (12.29.17) - The UT Dallas women's basketball team survived a back-and-forth game with Kean University (NJ) to finish the first day of the UTD Classic Tournament (presented by Courtyard by Marriott), pulling away late to post a 66-63 non-conference victory.

Freshman Kelley Skinner hit a three-pointer with 2:14 left to stretch the Comet's final lead to 59-55, then grabbed a steal that teammate Ja'Lee Carver turned into a free throw that made it a five-point game (62-57) with :27 left. Shannon Mathis hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch and a last-second mid-court shot by Kean's leading scorer, Marajiah Bacon just missed tying the score.

Both teams, shaking off the holiday break layoff, were rusty to start the game, combining for 16 turnovers, 28 fouls and just 18-of-31 free throw shooting in the first half. The Comets, who were just 6-of-31 from the field (19.4 percent) in the first two periods, trailed by just 28-25 at the break when Bacon hit a long three-pointer just before intermission to break one of eight first-half ties. After UTD went up 34-31 with a 9-3 start to the third period, Kean rallied to go up by its largest margin (43-36) with 1:48 left. But Hughes got a layup and Skinner nailed another three to end the period down by just four points (43-39). Skinner, whose only field goals from behind the arch, tied the game up for the Comets at 46-46 with 7:23 remaining. There were five lead changes and two more ties before time expiered.

KEY PLAYERS: Victoria Pena paced the Comets with 17 points and 9 rebounds, dishing out seven assists. Skinner posted a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Hughes finished with 11 points. For Kean, Bacon led the way with 35 points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Neither team shot better than 35.6 percent, but the Comets rebounded from a dismal first half by picking up the pace with 14-of-28 shooting after halftime, including a 4-of-6 showing from beyond the arch (paced by Skinner's trio of 3-pointers). In a game that saw a combined total of 50 personal fouls called, neither team was able to take advantage at the line. Kean was just 15-of-24 at the stripe while UTD missed 16-of-38 free throws.

UP NEXT: Kean will play North Central at 2 pm Saturday to finish up their visit to the UTD Classic. The Comets wrap up the tournament at 4 pm with a game against Wisconsin-Eau Claire. No. 13 Trinity University and Concordia open Day 2 with a 12:00 game in the UTD Activity Center.