RICHARDSON, TX (02.08.20) - With four games left in the regular season, the No. 25-ranked UT Dallas women's basketball team is now alone atop the American Southwest Conference East Division standings thanks to a 70-52 home win over former co-leader East Texas Baptist Saturday afternoon.

The Comets rolled off their eighth consecutive win since dropping a close decision to ETBU on the road last month to improve to 17-4 overall and now 11-1 in league play. With the loss, the Tigers fell to 16-5 overall and 10-2 in ASC play, now alone in second place. UTD is in control of its own destiny for a fifth consecutive ASC East title.

Junior Raenett Hughes continued her torrid pace as she closed Saturday's win with a game-high 18 points along with a game-best nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Hughes, the ASC's leading scorer, was 6-for-10 from the field and 6-for-9 from the stripe in her 17th double-digit scoring performance of the season. Freshman Maddie Edler was the only other Comet in double figures, ending the afternoon with 11 points, while senior Victoria Pena added nine points and added four steals.

The two regional powerhouses got off to a defensive start to the game as UTD had a slim, 12-8, lead after first period of play. The Comets held ETBU to just 3-of-12 shooting in the opening and force seven Tiger turnovers, but could not pull away early. After another slow period in the second, the Comets took a 23-15 lead into the locker room.

The Comets turned on the offense in the third, however, scoring 21 points in the frame, six each from Hughes and Edler. UTD hit 7-of-13 shots as a team in the third quarter and drained four three points to extend its lead to 44-31 heading into the fourth. Kelley Skinner opened the fourth with a three-pointer and the Comets never looked back, leading by double digits the enter period. 

UTD closed the contest shooting just 39.2 percent (20-of-51), hitting 8-of-23 three-pointers (34.8%), and was 22-of-31 (71%) from the free-throw line. The Comets forced 22 ETBU turnovers and out-rebounded the Tigers, 43-35.

The Comets will hit the road next week for their final two divisional games of the regular season as they visit Belhaven Thursday and Louisiana College Saturday.