File photo by Luke Zayas/LukeZayasMedia
RICHARDSON, Texas — In its final non-conference tune-up before next week’s conference opener, UMHB Women’s Basketball struggled to a 70-50 loss on Thursday night against former ASC foe UT-Dallas.
The road loss drops UMHB to 11-5 overall, though the contest will not count towards The Cru’s NCAA Power Index ranking (used for determining NCAA Tournament selection) as UTD is transitioning to Division II. The Comets are 10-6, but 10-1 against D-III competition.
UMHB fell behind early, trailing 20-10 after the first quarter, and The Cru never quite worked their way back into contention. They shot just 31.4% from the field and 4-of-18 from 3-point range in the loss, outscored in each of the first three quarters. UTD led by as many as 28 points by the 7:01 mark of the fourth quarter.
Key Contributors
UTD’s Anna Yellen led all scorers with 29 points, shooting 11-of-22 from the field in a career-high performance. The grad student from El Paso had five of the Comets’ seven 3-pointers in the win and scored 15 points over the first two quarters, helping build UTD’s double-digit lead.
Josie Bruder finished as The Cru’s lone scorer in double figures with 12 points, and added a team-high eight rebounds. Both Bruder and Katelen Brooks tallied two blocks for UMHB.
Game-shifting moment
UTD took a 41-27 lead into halftime, but the Comets sealed their victory by the way the third quarter began. UMHB struggled to put together complete offensive possessions as UTD kicked its scoring into high gear over the first seven minutes of the third, going on an 18-4 run. In that span, UTD shot 7-of-11 from the field and connected on a trio of 3-pointers, with half of the Comets’ 18 points scored by Yellen. UMHB shot 2-for-8 and went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in that stretch, falling behind, 59-31.
Noteworthy stat
UMHB turned the ball over 23 times, The Cru’s fourth-most in a game this season, and UTD took advantage time and time again. The Comets put up 27 points off turnovers, creating several fast-break opportunities as the result of 16 steals. Conversely, while UTD had 18 turnovers, UMHB turned those into a mere six points.
What’s Next?
UMHB heads into its American Southwest Conference opener at home next Thursday, hosting ETBU at 5:30 p.m. at the Mayborn Campus Center. ETBU won its ASC opener on Thursday at home, handing 14th-ranked Hardin-Simmons its second loss of the season in a 73-66 victory. The Tigers are 14-3 overall.
