RICHARDSON, Texas - Despite a season high for
Kim Childress in points and a fourth quarter comeback, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team couldn't overcome a rough first half as they fell to the #20 University of Texas Dallas Comets 78-68. The loss ends ETBU's regular season at 19-6 overall and 13-5 in the conference, which places them as the #3 seed in the upcoming ASC tournament.
Childress would set a new season high with a game-high 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field. She also finished tied with five rebounds along with
Sydney Saxton.
Madison McCoy finished with a team-high six assists in the game. Four players for the Comets finished with double-figures including Raenett Hughes (20 points), Victoria Pena (16 points), McKenzie Petty (15 points), and Kelley Skinner (13 points).
UTD would outshoot ETBU 47.3%-44.4% from the field and 42.1%-36.4% from the three-point line. The Comets also out rebounded ETBU 39-27. But the Tigers did make 70.6% from the free throw line and scored 28 points in the paint.
The first quarter was nip and tuck as Wilson scored the first basket for ETBU (9:32) before UTD tied it (8:20). After a Childress jumper made it 4-2 (8:10), UTD ran off five straight points (7:37, 6:57) to grab a 7-4 lead. ETBU would answer with four straight points from Boren (6:31) and
Sydney Saxton (5:43) to lead 8-7. A Childress layup (2:26) and three points from the Comets (1:25, 0:55) made it 13-10 before
Baylie Lindsey tied the game with a three-pointer (0:44). UTD then answered with a three of their own (0:17) to lead 16-13 after one.
The Comets started the second quarter with four straight points (10:00-8:40) to go up 20-13. ETBU would rally back to trail 20-18 as a three by Childress (8:00) and a layup by Wilson (7:34) made it that way before UTD answered with back-to-back threes to lead 26-16 (5:06). Once again, the Tigers stormed back to trail within three (26-23; 3:25). But once again, UTD would answer with a rally. This time, ETBU couldn't answer as the Comets ran a 12-3 run in the last three minutes to lead 38-26 at the break.
A basket by UTD (9:44) would make it 40-26 before ETBU would got on an 11-3 run (9:24-4:04) to cut the lead to 43-37. Childress would score four points (9:24, 7:09) in the run while a three by Boren (8:05) and layups by
Erin Meeks (8:43) and Lindsey (4:04) contributed to the run. Still, UTD would answer with five unanswered to lead 48-37 (2:15) only from a free throw by Wilson (2:01) and a three-pointer by
Karley McHenry (0:46) keyed a 5-2 run to end the third quarter with UTD up 50-41.
The first three minutes of the fourth quarter would see UTD maintain a double-digit lead to the point where they were up 62-50 (7:00). But then, Childress would help lead a 12-2 run (6:43-4:27) with nine points while McCoy would hit a three-pointer (4:27) to cut the lead to 64-62. After UTD would extend the lead to 71-64 on a 7-2 run (3:35-2:10), ETBU would charge back to cut the lead to 71-68 as free throws by Childress (2:02, 0:52) and McCoy (1:24) contributed to four points. But ETBU would be unable to get closer as the Comets would sink the free throws ad a layup in the final seconds to end the game.
ETBU will be back in Richardson, Texas, as they will get set to take part in the ASC Postseason Tournament as the #3 seed and will take on #2 West Division finisher Howard Payne.
