MARSHALL, TX (01.29.22) – A slow start and another offensive lull midway through the second half doomed the UT Dallas women's basketball team in an 61-47 American Southwest Conference loss to No. 18-ranked East Texas Baptist Saturday afternoon. 
 
The Comets (10-4, 9-2 ASC) dropped just their second conference game of the season as the Tigers (14-3, 10-2 ASC) opened the game on a 23-9 run and then stretched their lead out to double digits early in the fourth quarter to narrowly take over second place in the ASC race with just six regular season games remaining on the schedule.
 
After playing just one home game in January, the Comets return to the UTD Activity Center Thursday at 5:30 pm to face LeTourneau in the first of five straight home games.
 
The 47-point output was UTD's lowest of the season as the Comets shot just 27.1 percent (16-of-59) from the floor in the defensive struggle. ETBU, which was held to just 33.3 percent shooting, countered with a 10-for-23 assault from beyond the three-point arc to squelch any UTD comeback attempt.
 
Paris Kiser, who led UTD again with 16 points, scored the first bucket of the game to give the Comets their only lead 1:19 in, but the Tigers came roaring back. By the time Anna Jefferson-Polk scored just UTD's second field at the 5:45 mark of the second quarter, ETBU had built a 23-9 lead that included three straight treys.
 
But the Comets woke up at that point. Maddie Edler and Kiser nailed back-to-back three-pointers and another Jefferson-Polk layup finished off an 8-0 run that got UTD to within 23-17. The Comet defense shut down ETBU from the floor for the final 6:36 of the half and a pair of Kiser free throws made it a four-point game at the half (25-21).
 
Kiser then got the Comets within 25-23 three minutes into the third quarter, but ETBU scored 16 of the next 24 points and led 41-29 going into the final 10 minutes. After a Jordan Maxwell three-pointer cut the lead to 47-32 early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers held serve before UTD got eight straight points late in the game to make it 52-41 with just 2:17 left. But ETBU finished off the game with a 9-6 run to claim the win.
 
Besides Kiser, no other Comet finished in double figures offensively, but Jefferson-Polk played a key role with nine points, five rebounds, eight steals and three assists. UTD did hit 5 three-pointers in the game, but was outdone at the foul line, 19-10. ETBU won the rebounding battle, 46-32.