Comets Miss Chance To Tie Up East Race

UT-Tyler Holds Off UTD Comeback In Second Half To Hang On To First

RICHARDSON, TX - The UTD women's basketball team entered Monday's showdown with UT-Tyler with a chance to tie up the American Southwest Conference East Division race for the first time in program history.

Instead, division leader UT-Tyler (11-7, 8-5) held off a late Comet charge in a 75-68 win to retain possession of the lead and put some distance between themselves and the Comets, who fell to 10-8, 6-7.

UTD led early, but lost leading scorer Chelsea Edwards (pictured) to her third foul just eight minutes into the game with the score tied at 12-12. UT-Tyler finished the first half on a 21-17 run and led at intermission, 33-29 behind a 17-point first half from center Kasey Buggs.

Buggs would score nine more ponts in the second half, but teammate Marci Trogus took over with a 16-point second half. UTD countered with 13 points from Edwards, who was able to stay on the court when she returned after halftime; but the Comets were unable to shave down the lead until the final 4:12.

After trailing by as many as 12 points, the Comets trimmed the lead to three (62-65) on a Rachel Addison follow shot. Addison then got a steal, but Ericka Baker's shot to pull to within one came up short and UT-Tyler went the other way with a fast-break layup to stretch the lead back out. The Comets had one more chance with :55 left on another Addison followup that pulled UTD within 71-68, but UTD failed to convert on its final attempts to catch UT-Tyler.

Edwards finished with 15 points while Jenise Langston had 14 and Ericka Baker pitched in 11.

BOXSCORE