UT Dallas women's basketball team

For the third time in five seasons, the UT Dallas women’s basketball team won the American Southwest Conference tournament.

UT Dallas will host the first and second round of the NCAA Division III national women's basketball tournament this weekend, with the Comets facing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday. 

The Comets (25-3), ranked No. 24 in the nation, earned an automatic berth in the tournament by claiming their third American Southwest Conference (ASC) championship in five seasons with a 67-60 win over Louisiana College on Saturday. 

In the ASC title matchup, UT Dallas extended its school-record 12-game winning streak. The Comets, who have won 23 of its last 24 games, never trailed, but had to hold off several rallies by Louisiana College.

“It wasn't pretty, but we won the battles we needed to win tonight,” UT Dallas head coach Polly Thomason said. “Louisiana College played an awesome tournament and played us tough. We made the shots we needed to make, just like we have done all year.”

Women’s Basketball
NCAA Division III National Tournament

                       First and Second Rounds
                        UT Dallas Activity Center

                                    Friday
5 p.m.: No. 8 Trinity (26-1) vs. Hendrix (18-10)
7 p.m.: No. 24 UT Dallas (25-3) vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (19-8)

                                     Saturday
7 p.m.: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for students. Children under 3 will be admitted free.

Online: Live video and stats for all three games will be available at utdcomets.com.

Comet Facts: The Comets are making their third appearance in the national tournament. In 2015, they reached the Sweet 16 after beating Rhodes and UT Tyler. In the 2013, they lost in the first round to Washington-St. Louis.

Freshman Victoria Pena led the Comets with a game-high 19 points, hitting a number of key baskets that included four three-pointers. Senior Alyssa Crockett, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, added 15 points. Crockett was joined on the All-Tournament team by fellow Comet seniors Micaela Gonzalez and Kayla Reinhart.

“We fought every game in the tournament, and we knew LC wouldn't go down without a fight tonight,” Crockett said. “We got six more games to win, so tune in.”

Softball Team Ranked Nationally

Thanks to the best start in school history, the UT Dallas softball team is nationally ranked for the first time, earning the No. 18 spot in the NFCA/NCAA Division III Top 25 released last week. 

The Comets are 11-3 (5-1 ASC) and opened the season with a doubleheader sweep of Pacific University, 11-2 and 5-1, before taking both ends of a twin bill with then-No. 7 Texas Lutheran, 2-0 and 5-4.

The team returns to action for a three-game series that begins Friday at home against LeTourneau.

Men’s Basketball Players Receive Honors 

Four members of the men's basketball team recently earned honors from the ASC. 

Junior point guard Caleb Banks, who set the school's career assists record, made the ASC's East Division First Team, while junior center Reagan Keogh was tabbed the division's Defensive Player of the Year. 

Senior forward Kyle Coulter was tabbed second-team All-ASC East, and freshman guard Dimitrius Underwood was named the league's Freshman of the Year.