RICHARDSON, TX (02.22.18) - The No. 18-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball used a 30-point third quarter en route to an 86-56 win over Hardin-Simmons Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament, held at the UTD Activity Center.

The Comets, the No. 1 seed of the ASC's East Division, got off to a slow start before getting their tournament legs under them for a dominant second half. Leading 31-24 at the break over HSU, the No. 4 seed from the ASC West, UTD outgunned the Cowgirls, 30-16, in the third quarter and 25-16 in the final stanza to collect its ninth straight victory and advance to the semifinals of the ASC Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons.

UTD (23-3) will square off with East Texas Baptist at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals with a spot in the ASC title game on the line. The Comets have won the ASC title three of the past five seasons and are looking to become just the second repeat champion since 2009.

Senior Madison Steele was the driving force for the Comets in the quarterfinals, collecting a career-high 26 points on 12-of-20 shooting, with six rebounds. Steele was one of the few bright spots in the opening half, scoring 13 of the Comets' 31 first-half points. 

After leading by no more than eight points in the opening half, the Comets snagged their first double-digit lead of the night with 4:53 left in the third quarter when Victoria Pena drained a running lay up to lift UTD to a 47-37 advantage. Pena's bucket sparked an 8-0 run by the Comets as UTD would shooting 52.2 percent (12-of-23) as a team in the lop-sided third quarter. The Comets then shot 56.3 percent (9-of-16) in the final frame to pull away for their third 30-point victory of the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Comets ended the night shooting 48.6 percent (34-of-70) as a team, connecting on 6-of-18 three-pointers (33.3%), and shot 60 percent (12-of-20) from the free-throw line. UTD dominated the boards, out-rebounding HSU, 53-28, and outscored the Cowgirls in the paint, 42-22.

KEY PERFORMERS
Steele's 26 points topped her previous career high 25 points, set during her junior season. Raenett Hughes added 13 points as the only other UTD player in double figures, and added a game-high nine rebounds. Pena had five points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists.

OTHER ASC TOURNAMENT ACTION
Concordia Texas opened the day with an upset of Texas-Tyler, 79-68. ASC West champion Mary Hardin-Baylor then knocked off Louisiana College, 81-71. ETBU held off Howard Payne, 50-36, in the third game of the day. CTX and UMHB will square off at 5 p.m. Friday for the second spot in Saturday's title game, scheduled for 6 p.m.