ABILENE,TX (03.06.21) - The UT Dallas men's basketball team is heading to the American Southwest Conference Tournament for the 18th consecutive season after rallying for an 87-79 win at Hardin-Simmons Saturday night in the Comets' regular-season finale.

The Comets (now 9-4, 7-4 ASC) were in a must-win situation Saturday to keep their postseason streak alive after watching the rest of the league wrap up the regular season earlier in the afternoon. Senior Michael Forster scored 19 of his career-high 32 points in the second half as UTD erased an 12-point second-half deficit to punch its ticket to the ASC Tournament next week.

UTD will open its 18th straight ASC Tournament Wednesday with a quarterfinal game at Louisiana College in Pineville, La. Tip-off is 6 p.m.

Down 50-38 early in the second half, the Comets trimmed the HSU lead to just two points, 52-50, with 14:39 to play after a Forster lay up. However, the host Cowboys would answer with five straight points to regain a seven-point cushion.

Dimitrius Underwood then used a three-pointer on the Comets' next trip down the floor and Forster scored an old-fashioned three-point paly at the 13:05 mark to bring UTD within a single point, 57-56. The Comets eventually knotted the game, 59-59, on a Cole Williams fast break lay up with 11:17 on the clock.

Dylan Miles would give the Comets their first lead since the early minutes of the opening half with 10:38 left to play as he drained a three-pointer to put UTD up 62-59. The Comets would widen their lead to five points over the next three minutes and eventually extended their advantage to double-digits, 77-67, with 2:31 on the clock after a Underwood jumper.

The host Cowboys used a pair of late three-pointers late to keep close, but UTD answered each attack to hold on to the eight-point victory.

Forster was 11-for-21 from the field with three treys while connecting on 7-of-8 foul shots for his career high. He added four rebounds, two steals and an assist. Underwood added 22 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for his fifth 'double-double' of the season while Miles  had 10 points.