CLARKSVILLE, AR (02.08.18) - UT Dallas men's basketball head coach
Terry Butterfield collected his 300th win at the helm of the Comets as his squad claimed a 97-81 road victory over Ozarks Thursday night in American Southwest Conference East Division play.
Butterfield in amid his 18th season at UTD and now has a 300-182 record with the program. Now in his 29th year as a collegiate head coach, Butterfield currently boasts a 459-309 career record. He has led the Comets to three ASC championships and five trips to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
The host Eagles gained early control of Thursday's contest, but the Comets rallied late in the opening half to knot the game, 29-29, with 6:07 left before the break on a
Jon Hatcher lay up. UTD snagged its first lead of the night two possessions later on another Hatcher lay up and never look back as the Comets ended the period on a 14-8 run, and took a 45-39 lead into the locker room.
The Comets would commit just two turnovers over the final 20 minutes and completed control the paint in the second half. UTD shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) in the second half and still used 11 offensive rebounds to create 16 second-chance points en route to 52 points in the period, the Comets' ninth 50-point half of the season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Comets finished the night shooting 52.9 percent (37-for-70) as a team, connecting on just 6-of-21 three-pointers, and shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the foul line.
UTD held a slim rebounding advantage over the Eagles, 38-35, but finished with points in the paint, compared to just 26 by Ozarks.
KEY PERFORMERS
Sophomore
Dimitrius Underwood scored a career-high 29 points as he led three Comets in double figures. Underwood was 10-for-16 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Underwood has now made his last 20 straight free throw attempts dating back to the Comets' home win over Louisiana College on Jan. 27.
Hatcher ended with 19 points, adding a game-high eight rebounds, while
Caleb Banks added 14 points.
NEXT GAME
The Comets (16-6, 12-3 ASC) will look to extend its season-long winning streak to eight straight games Saturday when they visit rival Texas-Tyler in the squad's final regular-season road game. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Tyler.
