ST. LOUIS, MO (11.16.18) - The No. 16-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball team scored 39 points in the final period as the Comets earned an 86-77 win over No. 17-ranked Washington-St. Louis Friday night to open the 18th Annual McWilliams Classic, hosted by the Bears.

The Comets (1-0) used a balanced scoring attack, finishing with four players in double digits, as they erased a six-point deficit after three quarters to earn their 11th straight season-opening victory. UTD will now play Ithaca College Saturday 7 p.m. in the event's championship game. Ithaca opened the classic Friday with an impressive 98-36 win over Blackburn. Event-host WashU (0-1) will play Blackburn at 5 p.m.

Trailing the host Bears, 53-47, heading into the final stanza, UTD used a 9-3 run to open the fourth, capped by a three-pointer by Amber Terry, to knot the contest, 56-56, with just over eight minutes left to play.

The Comets would then add a trey from Kelley Skinner and another three-pointer from Terry to snag a six-point cushion of their own, 66-60, with 5:16 remaining. Terry would then add her third three-pointer of the period at the 2:42 mark to lift UTD to a 75-68 advantage over the Bears. 

UTD answered every rally attempt by the Bears in the two minutes, even securing a 10-point lead twice.  WashU cut the lead back to six points on two occasions in the final seconds, but the Comets hit free throws down the stretch to ice the victory.

The Comets were 11-for-15 as a team in the final quarter, hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers, and added an 13-for-21 performance from the foul line over the final 10 minutes.

Skinner and Raenett Hughes each finished with 14 points while Terry and Katie Gunther both contributed 13 points to round out the Comets in double digits. Gunther led the Comets with a game-high eight boards.

After both teams struggled offensively in the opening quarter, with the host Bears grabbing a 10-7 lead after the first 10 minutes, both teams found their strides in the second period. The Comets outscored WashU, 23-22, in the second, getting 10 points from Hughes, to claw within two points, 32-30, at the break. The Bears expanded their lead back to six points after outscoring UTD, 21-17, in the third.

Friday's match-up between the Comets and Bears marked the second-over meeting between the two programs. WashU earned a 45-40 win over the Comets in the 2013 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, UTD's first-ever appearance in the event.