ABILENE, TX (11.21.18) - Junior Dimitrius Underwood scored the game-winning lay up with 13 seconds on the clock as the UT Dallas men's basketball team opened American Southwest Conference play Wednesday afternoon with a 72-71 road win over Hardin-Simmons.

The Comets (3-1, 1-0 ASC) led the entirety of the opening half and traded leads with HSU throughout the second half before HSU's Joe Hoeup drained a three-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to lift the host Cowboys to a 71-70 lead. UTD missed its first chance for game-winner on its next possession, but Hans Burwitz grabbed the rebound of his own lay up to allow the Comets a fresh shot clock. Underwood's driving lay up would give UTD back the lead and the Comets' first road win of the season. Hoeup's last-second three-point attempt to give back the Cowboys the victory rattled out.

UTD struggled from outside the three-point arc for the second straight road game, but outgunned the host Cowboys, 42-18, in the paint to secure the conference-opening win. The Comets were just 2-for-8 from long distance on the afternoon, compared to 11-of-25 three-point shooting by HSU.

The Comets led by as many as eight points, 31-22, late in the opening half after a old-fashioned three-point play by Burwitz. UTD would then a six-point cushion, 37-31, into the locker room. HSU then scored the first five points of the second half to claw within a point and the Cowboys took their first lead of the game with 18:04 left to play on a jumper by Hoeup. 

The two teams then traded leads 12 times over the next eight minutes before UTD secured a 55-53 advantage with a Jordan Castillo lay up with 8:25 on the clock. The Comets would extend their lead to as many as five points late in the game before HSU rallied back and finally took back the lead on Hoeup's three-pointer.

Burwitz and Underwood both recorded 'double-doubles' in the victory, both finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Burwitz was 8-for-15 from the field, hitting 6-of-7 free throws, while Underwood was 10-for-18 overall, making both free throw attempts. 

The Comets ended the game shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the floor and were 16-of-19 (84.2%) from the charity stripe.

UTD returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m. against No. 6-ranked Whitworth in San Antonio as part of the Leslie Robinson Invitational hosted by Trinity.