UMHB buried Texas-Dallas with 52-percent shooting in the first half, and the Comets never dug their way out as the Lady Crusaders pulled off a 57-48 upset victory Friday afternoon in the first round of the American Southwest Conference Tournament at McMurry’s Kimbrell Arena.
It marked the second consecutive year that ASC West Division fourth-seeded UMHB knocked off the East’s top seed on the event’s opening day. This one put the Lady Crusaders (14-12) into a semifinal at 1:30 p.m. today against West rival Hardin-Simmons (21-5), which beat Louisiana College.
UMHB held a 22-11 lead by the midway point of the first half and was up 35-22 by halftime thanks to a 13-of-25 shooting effort - including 4-of-7 from 3-point range - during the first 20 minutes. The deficit ballooned to as many as 18 points after intermission, when UT-Dallas (21-5) never got closer than seven.
UMHB’s Jessica Kelly scored a game-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. Kallie White added nine points and Landie Thompson and Jenny Black chipped in eight apiece for the Lady Crusaders, who shot just 5-for-25 from the field in the second half to finish at 36 percent overall.
