RICHARDSON, TX (02.18.17) - The No. 25-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball rallied in the second half, holding off rival Texas-Tyler for a 73-68 win Saturday afternoon in American Southwest Conference East Division play.

The Comets (22-3, 15-1 ASC) wrapped up the regular season with nine straight victories and a 19-1 run entering next weekends ASC Championship Tournament in Brownwood. The East Division top-seed Comets will open the ASC Tournament Thursday with a 2:30 p.m. game against Sul Ross State in the first round in Brownwood.

Trailing the visiting Patriots (19-6, 11-6 ASC) by as many as 14 points in the opening quarter, the Comets rallied to pull within a point of UTT, 33-32, at intermission. UTD completed its rally by taking its first lead of the game just past the midway point of the third quarter before pulling away in the final frame for the victory.

The Patriots jumped out to an early 18-4 lead, but a McKenzie Petty three-pointer finished an 11-4 run to cut the lead down to seven (22-15) at the end of the first period. A Victoria Pena three-pointer and Kayla Reinhart jumper got the lead down to one (24-23) at the 7:38 point of the second quarter, and an Alyssa Crockett free throw pulled the Comets to within 33-31 at the break. 

The Patriots kept the lead until Zavier Landry gave UTD its first tie (38-38) two minutes into the third quarter. The two teams traded leads six times before the UTT rallied to tie the score at 52-52 to end the third.

The score was tied just once more in the fourth quarter before UTD took control. The Comets followed a 54-54 tie with 9:16 remaining with a 10-2 run to go up 64-56 with still 4:51 left. The Patriots trimmed the lead down to two (64-62) with 2:35 remaining, but baskets by Reinhart and Micaela Gonzalez stretched  the lead back out. Pena's free throws with :34 seconds left made it a seven-point lead for the Comets and the Patriots only got as close as three (71-68) with just :12 left. A pair of Crockett free throws made it a two-possession game and UTD finished off its ninth straight win.

Alyssa Crockett led five Comets in double figures with 14 points while Micaela Gonzlaz finished with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Reinhart had 12 points while Petty and Pena both finished with 11. UTD won the rebounding battle, 73-68.

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