The UTD Comets basketball team had its season-high six-game win streak snapped by the LeTourneau Yellowjackets on Jan. 6 by a score of 72–69, dropping their record to 11–7.
The Comets had completely turned their season around, riding a scorching-hot win streak and winning eight of their last nine games. The match started off slow for the Comets, who turned the ball over four times in the first four minutes, resulting in a 7–5 Yellowjackets advantage.
The Comets would finally get their footing in the game, going on a 10–2 run over the next four minutes powered by guard Nick Donnelly’s two threes. The Comets would control the rest of the half, never letting the score get closer than four points and stretching the lead to as much as eight points. By the end of the half, the Comets held a solid 35–29 advantage, though it could have been much larger if not for 12 turnovers in the period.
The Comets would extend their advantage into the second half’s beginning, establishing their largest lead of the game — 12 points — with 14:35 left in the period. It appeared they were on their way to extending their lengthy win streak.
Less than a minute after the Comets established their biggest lead, the officiating crew made its first of multiple impressions on the game, calling technicals on the Comets’ guard Peyton Dulin and the Yellowjackets’ guard Cooper Smith after the players contested a few questionable calls and non-calls.
The Yellowjackets took advantage of the referees disturbing the flow of the game, ripping off a massive 13–0 run to take a 50–49 lead, their first since early in the first half. The game had flipped on its head. The Comets were able to land a hit back with four straight points to retake the lead, but this had become a brand new ballgame.
The teams would exchange blows as the second half dwindled down, and with 2:42 left, the game was deadlocked at 62–62. Yellowjackets guard Connor Miller hit a massive three pointer with 1:57 left. On the following Comets possession, center Austin Page appeared to have been contacted illegally by a Yellowjackets defender, however, no call was made. Page expressed to the officials that he believed there was illegal contact, to which he was met with a technical foul. After Yellowjackets guard Deonte Jackson knocked down both technical free throws, he gestured to the crowd a “quiet down” motion, to which he was also hit with a technical. The Comets made both free throws.
While the game remained at a three-point gap, the officials had once again inserted themselves into the game, disrupting its flow. Spectators called out the officials, yelling “Way to take over the game!” and “Get your head out of your ass!”
With 0:12 left, the Yellowjackets held a one-point lead. After the Comets intentionally fouled to put the Yellowjackets on the line, that advantage expanded to three. The Comets raced up the floor for one last shot. Forward Jordan Balderaz took the ball, stepped back and launched a prayer. The ball would hit the rim and rim around — but ultimately rim out as the buzzer sounded, and the Comets were on the losing end of a game for the first time in over a month.
Donnelly led the team in scoring with 12 points on 4-14 shooting (28.6% accuracy) including 2-9 (22.2% accuracy) from behind the three point arc. Donnelly, along with forward Zach Spitzer, Balderaz and Matthew Soto led the team with three assists apiece. Page led the team in rebounding with eight. As a team, the Comets shot 24-58 from the field (41.4% accuracy), 6-20 from three (30.0% accuracy) and 15-18 from the free throw line (83.3% accuracy). They amassed 46 rebounds, 17 assists to 20 turnovers, eight blocks and three steals.
The Comets would return to action at home on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m., taking on the East Texas Baptist Tigers.