Texas-Dallas shot 54 percent from the field and took advantage of 24 UMHB turnovers en route to an 82-66 victory Saturday night at Mayborn Campus Center.
In dropping their American Southwest Conference opener, the Crusaders - who began the season ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division III - fell to 0-3. That comes after losing just four games all of last season and six the year before.
“We’re guarding pretty good and guys are shooting the ball down on us,” UMHB coach Ken DeWeese said in explaining all three losses. “Then tonight, we have 24 turnovers and the other guys have 10. It’s pretty hard to overcome that.”
The Crusaders had their shooting touch, as well, knocking down 49 percent from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range. But that was after making only one of their first six shots in the opening 7 minutes and falling into an 18-3 hole that they never crawled all the way out of.
Senior wing Tilmon Gaddy scored seven of his team-high 15 points late in the first half, and Tim Lytle hit a pair of 3s to help UMHB cut it to 35-30 by intermission.
A Lytle jumper 2 minutes into the second half cut the gap to 37-34 before the Comets (4-0, 1-0 ASC) went on a 19-3 run, and the margin hovered in the 20-point range the rest of the way.
“For us to break out of this, it’s going to have to happen on the defensive end,” Gaddy said. “And we have to do it from the jump. It seems like we get off to a slow start every single game.”
Lytle finished with 11 points and Zane Johnston added 14 for the Crusaders, who held a 33-20 advantage on the boards.
Guard Ernie Lowery poured in a game-high 24 points and was 4-of-5 from long range for UTD, which shot 10-of-24 from beyond the arc. Temaine Wright added 14 points, Brandon Greene posted 12 and Jordan Eppink had 11 for the Comets.
Johnston went 4-of-6 and Lytle 3-for-6 from 3-point range as part of a 7-for-13 effort for UMHB, which will host Ozarks (Ark.) at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
