RICHARDSON, TX (03.01.19) - The No. 16-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball team is heading to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Championship for the second straight season after the Comets earned a 62-51 home win over Texas Lutheran Friday night in the opening round of the 64-team event.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
With with win, the Comets (25-4) have set up a second-round meeting with American Southwest Conference foe Mary Hardin-Baylor (26-3) Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the UTD Activity Center with a berth into the NCAA D-III Sweet 16 on the line.
Raenett Hughes and
Mia Spennato each finished with 13 points while
Nkechinyerem Okehi added 10 points to round out the Comets in double figures. Hughes, Okehi and
Victoria Pena each grabbed a game-high seven rebounds while Pena dished out six assists.
The Comets led TLU wire-to-wire as they will now move on to the second round of the national tournament for the third time in program history. UTD made its only appearance in the NCAA D-III Sweet 16 in 2015. The Comets improved to 4-4 all-time in the event.
UTD had a hard time pulling away from the Bulldogs (18-9) early in the contest but would eventually grab a double-digit lead, 14-4, with 4:06 left in the opening period. The Comets had their best shooting performance in the first quarter, hitting 6-of-13 shots from the field (46.2%), including three three-pointers, before grabbing an 18-10 lead after 10 minutes of play.
However, the Bulldogs would open the second period on an 8-0 run to knot the game with just over seven minutes left before half and would force two more ties in the second quarter before UTD would begin pulling away again. With the game knotted, 23-23, with 3:16 left before intermission, the Comets rolled off eight straight points, capped by a
Shannon Mathis trey, to eventually take a seven-point lead, 31-24, at the break.
The Comets cooled off considerably in the second half, shooting 27.8 percent (5-of-18) as a team, but still maintained control of the contest heading into the second half. UTD returned to a double-digit advantage with 6:51 left in the third when Hughes hit a running lay up to lift the Comets to a 38-28 advantage. The pesky Bulldogs again tried to rally back, however, cutting the lead back to four points late in the quarter before UTD finished the third with a 46-38 cushion.
Okehi hit a lay up with 9:09 left to play to once again push the UTD lead to double figures, 48-38, and the Comets would not lead by less than seven points the remainder of the contest.
UTD closed the night shooting 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the floor, connecting on 7-of-23 three-pointers (30.4%), and were 13-of-18 (72.2%) from the free-throw line. The Comets out-rebounded TLU, 46-35, and forced 16 Bulldogs turnovers.
The Comets and UMHB will squaring off for the third time this season as the two conference foes will battled for a place in next weekend's NCAA D-III Sectional Round. The Cru claimed a 75-70 road win over the Comets on Dec. 28, but UTD avenged the regular-season loss with a 63-58 win over the UMHB in the ASC title game this past Saturday in Belton.
