ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The UT Dallas men's basketball team kicked off its holiday break schedule with a 70-67 victory at Eckerd at Gibbs Campus Gym Sunday afternoon.

The Comets (5-5) held the lead for the majority of the first period, taking a 34-30 lead into halftime. They shot 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field as the Tritons (5-5) found themselves in foul trouble. 

The second half saw six ties and six lead changes before UTD took the lead for good at 53-52 on a Peyton Dulin three-pointer with 7:36 left. That shot started a 14-2 run for the Comets to go up by nine with under four minutes to play.

Eckerd's Kent Garard converted a four-point play with 1:16 on the clock to make the game 67-64. Dulin and Nick Donnelly went 3-for-4 at the line on the next two possessions for UTD to go up by six. Garard made another three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining  for the final shot of the game.

For the game, the Comets shot 50 percent (21-of-42) overall, 4-for-15 from three-point range and were 24-for-36 from the line - the most free throws made and attempted this season. They also recorded 29 rebounds, 10 assists, 16 turnovers, two blocks and nine steals.

The Tritons shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the field, 6-of-21 from outside and 13-of-18 at the free throw line with 34 boards, six assists, 14 turnovers, two blocks and nine steals.

UT Dallas Notes
- The Comets complete their NCAA Division II schedule for season, going 2-3.
- Dulin led UTD with 15 points, scoring in double-digits for the seventh time this season and fourth consecutive contest. He has also made a three-pointer in all 10 games this year.
- Junior center Austin Page had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with six rebounds and a blocked shot.
- Donnelly finished with 13 points, and tied a career-high with six rebounds.
- Sophomore guard Matthew Soto picked up 10 points and dished out a pair of assists.
- Forward Jordan Balderaz came up with nine points, two steals and three rebounds.
- Sophomore AJ Carter posted a pair of offensive rebounds and two steals.
- Sunday marked the first contest in Florida in program history.

Eckerd Notes
- Garard led all players with 20 points to go with five rebounds.
- Isaiah Placide had eight points, five boards, two assists and a block.
- Timothy Thompson added eight points, six rebounds and two steals.
- Brady Patterson scored nine points with three steals off the bench.

Up Next
UTD will conclude its Sunshine State trip with Southeastern in Lakeland on Tuesday at 1 p.m. CT. The Fire are a member of the NAIA.

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