SAN ANTONIO, TX (11.24.18) - The UT Dallas men's basketball team improved to 4-1 on the young season after earning an 88-79 win over No. 6-ranked Whitworth Saturday afternoon to open the Leslie Robinson Classic, hosted by Trinity.

The Comets dominated the boards in the upset of Whitworth, out-rebounding the Pirates, 40-20, in the contest. Dimitrius Underwood recorded his third 'double-double' in a five games as he finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals in squad's third straight victory.

Underwood led four Comets in double figures in the win as fellow starters Jalen Weber and Hans Burwitz each added 14 points while Curtis Allen came off the bench for 10 points. UTD finished the afternoon shooting 54.4 percent (31-of-57) from the field, hitting 5-of-12 three-pointers (41.7%), and were 21-of-29 (72.4%) from the free-throw line.

The Pirates (3-1) took early control of the contest, securing a nine-point advantage, 24-15, just past the midway point of the opening half. However, UTD used a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to claw within two points, 26-24, after a Underwood lay up with 6:57 remaining before half.

With 4:47 left in the first, the Comets grabbed the lead, 30-29, on a pair of Michael Forster free throws and would lead Whitworth, 43-40, at the break. UTD out-rebounded the Pirates,18-6, over the first 20 minutes.

The Pirates evened the game on their opening possession of the second half on a Kyle Roach three-pointer and would score the first seven points of the period to grab a 47-43 lead within the first minute of half. Whitworth widened its lead back to nine points, 58-49, with 14:30 on the clock, forcing a Comet timeout.

UTD would then roll off eight straight points, capped by an Underwood lay up to draw within a point and knotted the game at 60-60 on an Allen three-pointer with 11:07 remaining.

The two teams traded leads over the next few minutes before the Comets grabbed the lead for good with 8:14 left, 67-66, with a pair of Allen free throws. UTD extended its lead to 13 points by the 5:04 mark after a Xavier Ferrell trey and never led by fewer than five points over the final minutes of the contest.