RICHARDSON, TX - The American Southwest Conference's best defensive team went
on the offensive Sunday afternoon, firing their way to an 84-72 win over
Mississippi College and earning the 2009 ASC Championship.
UTD (24-4) won the championship game of the three-day ASC Championship
Tournament at UTD Activity Center by shooting over 60 percent from the field
throughout the title game, good enough to build an early lead and fight off any
second-half challenges from the talent-laden Choctaws (20-7).
The conference championship was UTD's first since 2005 and earned the Comets the
ASC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Championship
Tournament, which begins next weekend. UTD will learn its first-round opponent
Monday morning. The national NCAA selection show is being webcasted and can be
viewed by LINKING HERE. The first-round games are scheduled for Thursday night,
March 5, with second-round games slated to begin on Saturday, March 7.
UTD's
Temaine Wright (5'10''-G) put on show for the Comets in the title game,
earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Wright did not miss a shot as
UTD built up a 40-28 halftime lead in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.
He had 13 of his game-high 17 points before halftime. Teammates
Jordan Eppink (6'5''-C) and
Ernest Lowery (6'1''-F) were also All-Tournament team selections. The Comets
nailed nine 3-point shots, shooting over 50 percent from outside the arch. Scott
Rodgers came off the bench to lead UTD in scoring with 21 points, including
three 3-pointers.
Despite entering the title game as the No. 1 seed, the Comets still had deal
with the bitter memory of a 76-66 home loss to the Choctaws back on Feb. 7; and
the fact that MC had rallied twice from big deficits in the semifinals to finish
off McMurry 85-80 just a day earlier. But UTD played perhaps its best overall
game of the season, shaking off an early deficit and going in front to stay
(18-16) with 9:28 to go in the first half on a
Jimmy
Witten (6'6''-C) layup. The Comets, in fact, went on an 18-4 run to open up
a 12-point edge (33-21 with 4:36 to go before halftime and held a 40-28 lead at
the break.
The Comets did not let up in the second half, scoring the first two baskets of
the half and leading 45-28 at 19:02. Despite MC's determined effort to come
back, UTD kept piling on the points, holding the lead above 10 ponts until the
Choctaws cut it to nine (57-48) at 12:17, then eight points (62-54) again at
10:16.
Each time the Choctaws looked ready to challenge, though, UTD came up with a
clutch shot to answer.
Chris
Barnes (6'6''-F) scored five straight points in a :33 span off the bench,
and Rodgers and
Charles Harris (6'4''-F). When Mississippi College tried to force the issue
late with fouls and a full-court press, the Comets responded by building their
biggest lead of the game at 18 points (82-64) with 2:06 on the clock and both
coaches conceeded the outcome by emptying the bench.
The Choctaws still shot 55 percent from the field and made things interesting
with 20 trips to the free-throw line, but only hit 12 of those opportunities.
UTD also 'out-Choctawed' the Choctaws by coming up with 10 steals. In addition
to Rodgers and Wright, the Comets got double-figure scoring from
Brandon Greene (6'3''-F) and Witten, who contributed 10 points each. Eppink
finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds.He also made big contributions off the
bench, which scored 37 of UTD's total points in the game.
Courtesy of utdallas
Tournament Final: Texas-Dallas - Mississippi College 85-72 Tournament Semifinals:
Mississippi College - McMurry 85-80
Texas-Dallas - Mary Hardin-Baylor 65-60
Butterfield
RICHARDSON, TX - The American Southwest Conference's best defensive team went
on the offensive Sunday afternoon, firing their way to an 84-72 win over
Mississippi College and earning the 2009 ASC Championship. 
