RICHARDSON, TX (02.25.20) - The No. 16-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball team will host the American Southwest Conference Tournament for just the second time in program history and the Comets will open their postseason run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Concordia Texas at the UTD Activity Center.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
The Comets (21-4) will be looking for its fifth ASC championship this weekend, but the program's first-ever title on its home court. UTD claimed its previous four league titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) away from the friendly confines of the Activity Center.
UTD collected its fifth all-time ASC East title in 2019-20, rolling through league play with a dominant 15-1 conference record. The Comets will be heading into the postseason on a season-long 12-game winning streak.
The 2020 ASC Tournament will open at 12 p.m. Thursday when East Texas Baptist (ASC East No. 2) faces Howard Payne (ASC West No. 3). ASC West champion Mary Hardin-Baylor will then square with Belhaven (ASC East No. 4) at 2:30 p.m. Hardin-Simmons (ASC West No. 2) plays LeTourneau (ASC East No. 3) at 5 p.m. prior to the UTD/CTX contest.
Daily Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Per ASC policy, pets are not permitted at ASC championship events, except for certified service animals that are properly trained, marked and leashed.
Junior
Raenett Hughes is amid the best scoring season in UTD history as she enters the postseason averaging a league-best 20.4 points per game while shooting 58.8 percent from the field. Senior
Victoria Pena, the Comets' all-time leading scorer, is second on the squad and 10th in the ASC with 14.4 points per outing. The Comets are one of just two teams to boast two of the top 10 scorers in the league this season.
Junior
Kelley Skinner rounds of the Comets in double figures with 10.6 points per game, giving UTD three of the top 25 scorers in the ASC. Skinner leads the Comets with 6.4 rebounds per game while Pena averages a team-best 4.4 assists per contest.
The Comets rank third in the ASC in scoring offense (73.2 ppg) and second in scoring defense (57.5 ppg) for a league-best scoring margin of 15.7 points per contest. UTD is not only of the of the top shooting offenses in the league, but rank among the league leaders in field goal defense as well. The Comets rank third in the ASC in field goal percentage (41.9%) and fourth from three-point range (31.0%). UTD is the third-best shooting defense in the league, holding teams to 35.3 percent from the field. The Comets limit teams to just 27.4 percent accuracy from three-point range, ranking second in the ASC.
UTD is making a 14th consecutive trip to the ASC Tournament, boasting a 16-9 record in its previous 13 trips. The Comets have squared off with CTX on three previous occasions in the event with UTD holding a 2-1 advantage in those meetings. The Comets downed the Tornados, 81-55, during the regular season in Austin.
2020 ASC Championship Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals: Thursday, February 27
Game 1: (E2) East Texas Baptist (19-6) vs. (W3) Howard Payne (11-14), 12:00 p.m.
Game 2: (W1) Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-4) vs. (E4) Belhaven (14-11), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: (W2) Hardin-Simmons (19-6) vs. (E3) LeTourneau (14-11), 5:00 p.m.
Game 4: (E1) UT Dallas (21-4) vs. (W4) Concordia Texas (9-16), 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Friday, February 28
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:00 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30 p.m.
Championship: Saturday, February 29
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 6:00 p.m.
