BETHANY, Okla. - The UT Dallas women's basketball team opened its 2025–26 season with a close 70–65 exhibition loss at Southern Nazarene on Friday night at the Sawyer Center.

The Comets held a narrow lead after the first quarter and rallied late with a 23-point fourth period, but came up just short.

Graduate student guard Anna Yellen led the Comets with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including three three-pointers. Umi Otsuka, who transferred from SNU, added 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while Sheridan Kavanagh scored eight points with two three-pointers. Addy Self collected seven rebounds, and the Comets recorded nine steals and seven blocked shots as a team.

UT Dallas shot 40 percent (25-for-62) from the field and made seven three-pointers. The Comets grabbed 36 rebounds and finished with 17 assists while holding Southern Nazarene to 22-for-56 shooting (39 percent).

The Crimson Storm, who received votes in the WBCA Top 25, were led by Nessa Begay with 14 points, while Halyn Browning scored 12 and Jillian Crawford and Hannah Duncan each added eight. SNU made eight three-pointers and went 18-for-25 from the free-throw line.

The Comets trailed 31–25 at halftime, narrowed the margin in the third, and outscored SNU 23–19 in the final quarter.

UTD will play another exhibition at East Texas A&M in Commerce on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.