>>11.26.05
Comets Wilt Late To Let McM Off Hook
McMurry 76, UTD 57

The University of Texas at Dallas women's basketball team gave American Southwest Conference power McMurry University all it could hand for three-quarters of its conference opener Saturday afternoon, but a pair of late second-half runs gave the Lady Indians all the breathing room they needed to knock off the Comets, 76-57.

The game's final margin of 19 points was almost the widest of the contest, as UTD and McMurry battled evenly for much of the game. With 16:05 remaining in the contest, the two teams were knotted at 38-38. But that's when the Lady Indians (2-0, 1-0) turned on the afterburners.

Forcing Comet turnovers and grabbing missed UTD shots, McMurry raced off a 12-2 run to go up 50-40 with 11:07 remaining. The Lady Indians later picked up another 10-0 run that ended with 4:15 remaining and a 20-point, 70-50 advantage.

Newcomer Dani Barnett (pictured) led a foursome of UTD players who finished in double figures with 14 points and nine rebounds; and the Comets did shoot over 40% from the floor. But McMurry took advantage of a 47-32 lead in rebounding, and 21 UTD turnovers to put the game away.

The Comets (0-2, 0-1) actually held some early leads in the first half and had the game tied numerous times before falling behind by just four at the half, 34-30.

Kia Jones finished with 13 points for UTD while newcomer Ericka Baker had 11 points and Cassi Little added 10. UTD was, however, just 1-of-13 from the three-point line.

UTD hosts 2-0 Hardin-Simmons, which rallied for a 59-54 win at UT-Tyler Saturday, on Monday night at 5:30 pm.

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