ALPINE, TX (11.29.18) - The No. 17-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball team got off to a hot start and held Sul Ross State to just 14 points in the opening half as the Comets opened American Southwest Conference play Thursday night with a 62-37 win over the Lady Lobos.

The Comets (4-1, 1-0 ASC) jumped out to a 20-9 lead after the opening period and then outscored SRSU, 13-5, in a defensive second quarter to set the tone for the ASC-opening win.

Raenett Hughes led all scorers with 16 points, while adding a game-high nine boards, and Katie Gunther added 12 points, as the Comets picked up their largest margin of victory of the season. Kelley Skinner finished with seven points and matched Hughes' game high with nine boards of her own.

UTD led the Lady Lobos wire-to-wire and used a three-pointer from Hughes at the first-quarter buzzer to take its first double-digit lead. The Comets had a 20-point advantage by the 3:43 mark of the second period after a Skinner trey. UTD's largest lead of the night came with 8:33 remaining in the contest when Alex Boushey's lay up pushed the Comets to a 55-28 lead.

The Comets finished the nigh shooting 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field as a team, connecting on 7-of-19 three-pointers (36.8%), and were 9-of-16 (56.3%) from the free-throw line. UTD out-rebounded the Lady Lobos, 35-28.

UTD returns to action Saturday afternoon for another ASC crossover game when the Comets visit Howard Payne. Tip-off is 1 p.m. in Brownwood.