RICHARDSON, TX (01.20.18) - The UT Dallas women's basketball team picked up its ninth straight victory Saturday afternoon as the Comets used a dominant third quarter to grab a 76-41 win over Ozarks in American Southwest Conference East Division play.

The Comets outscored Ozarks, 28-9, in the third frame after securing a 14-point halftime lead and never looked back. UTD is now just three wins shy of the program record for consecutive wins, earning 12 straight victories last season.

Leading 31-17 at the break, the Comets scored the first six points of the second half to force a quick Ozarks timeout. UTD would extend its lead to more than 20 points with 6:13 left in the third when McKenzie Petty drained a three-pointer to lift the Comets to a 42-20 advantage. The Comets were 12-of-20 from the field, hitting three treys, in the third period.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Comets finished the game with a 50-35 rebounding advantage and outgunned the Eagles in the paint, 38-22. UTD forced 25 turnovers, scoring 30 points of the Ozarks giveaways.

UTD shot 39.7 percent (27-of-68) from the field, hitting just 6-of-22 shots from beyond the arc. The Comets were 16-of-30 (53.3%) from the free-throw line.

KEY PERFORMERS
Victoria Pena led the Comets with 15 points, hitting 5-of-11 shots with two treys, while adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Madison Steele and Shannon Mathis each added 10 points. Kelley Skinner finished with team-high 10 rebounds.

NEXT GAME
The Comets (14-2, 8-1 ASC) will take a quick break from ASC East play on Monday when they visit Concordia Texas in the squad's finish league crossover game of the season. Game time is 5:30 p.m. in Austin.